Buffy and the New Blood
by christytrekkie
Summary: The friends she makes will be vital to her survival and theirs. Friends forged, enemies gorge, will the choices she makes end in cascade or will fate be willing to change. Buffy and the New Blood.
1. Buffy And The New Blood

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story. Buffy belongs to Joss Whedon. Now let's get on with the show.

It begins. Buffy sleeps, restless as she tosses and turns in her bed. Flashes of things to come are in the forefront of her nightmares. Things about the hell mouth, Angel, demons, vampires, the harvest and all the evil that is to happen. Then the Master turns his head and looks right at her.

Then a still small voice whispers. "She who watches will come and change it all."

Buffy wakes up as her mother calls her saying she didn't want to be late for her first day. "Oh No," Buffy groggily says. "wouldn't want that."

The girl watching looks confused. "Hey I don't remember that last part of Buffy's dream the twenty times watching this episode," she says. "Where did that come from?" She blinks and keeps watching.

Buffy exits the library and leaves Giles dumbfounded. He thought for sure that this is the book she is looking for and that she is the Slayer he has to watch for. Confusion sets in as he puts the book away then he hears an eerily quiet voice whisper.

"She watches, she is coming, she will change things."

Giles looks around trying to locate the person behind the voice and finds no one. He shrugs and finishes his business, he puts that little episode in the back of his mind for later reference.

On the other side of things a girl watches in utter confusion to the new footage in her favorite show. "Really, I watch this to many times and I don't remember anything about a still small voice or anything about a girl who watches," she says. "Someone's messing with me."

After the Buffy/Giles conversation about the guy in the locker with the two little bite marks on his neck and the little argument about all the vampires and everything that goes bump in the night, the duo step out of the library. Alexander Harris steps out of the stacks of library books where he hears every crazy word. He looks completely bewildered as he says. "What?" Then he turns so quickly he nearly knocks over the books when he hears an eerily quiet voice behind him whisper.

"She is coming; she is the changer of all things." "Be ready, be able, and be strong."

Xander scans the library so quickly he nearly gives himself whiplash. Seeing no one else in the room with him, he runs terrified from the library.

Girl gets angry with the situation. "What the frock?" she says. "Someone's been tampering with my disks that definitely doesn't happen in the show." "What's with all the extra footage?"

Angel walks away from the alley a little hurt. "Why wouldn't she want to be my friend?" he asks. "Well maybe it's because you were stalking her in an alley way asshole," he thought to himself. Then an eerily quiet voice brings him out of his reverie as it whispers.

"She is coming, the watcher that will change things for all, and the friend that will be that for all."

Angel turns to see who is speaking to him and he sees no one. He continues home and contemplates what he had heard.

The girls face crinkles and she looks at her disk case to see if this may have been an alternate version of her beloved show. As she finds nothing to support her claims she continues to watch.

Willow unknowingly follows a vampire into the cemetery when she heard an eerily quiet voice whisper.

"She who watches is coming, she will change things for all," the voice says. "It is the appointed time for her return, make way."

Willow and the vampire look around for the source of the voice. Finding not a soul Willow says. "Okay, this is nice and scary." Looking to her companion with complete fear on her face she says, "are you sure this way is faster?"

Girl is extremely annoyed, she starts to rub her temples hoping to relieve herself of the oncoming headache. She pauses the disk player and contemplates just what the heck is going on in her world. Is she imagining this or is she hearing things. Is she having one of her elaborately colorful and crazy dreams she always has. She reaches down and pinches herself. "Ouch, damn it that hurt," she says to no one in particular. "Well you did it to yourself dumb ass." Well great now she is talking to herself, she isn't having crazy dreams she is the one that is crazy. She continues watching, thinking that she is completely and utterly of her rocker.

Within the Bronze Buffy kills Luke and destroys the plans of the Master's ascension. As everything ends at the bronze and Scoobies are about to leave the premises then an eerily quiet voice whispers.

"She is watching, she is coming and she does not know that she will change things for all."

"She will save the warrior."

"She will make whole the champion."

"She will make powerful the one who sees."

"She will change and strengthen the witch."

"She will teach the watcher how to truly watch."

"She will show the queen b her true heart and ultimate power."

The group of Scoobies look at one another and say. "Who the hell keeps saying that?" They then realize that all of them are hearing the same voice. "Oh boy, this is not of the good," said Buffy as she watches Giles adamantly clean his glasses. It was time for research mode for Buffy and the gang.

Girl completely freaks out."Okay this is getting utterly ridiculous, someone is fucking with me!" she says. "Okay candid camera, come out come out where ever you are." She expectantly looks around to see if someone will come out of the shadows to make fun of her for buying into this crap. As nothing happens her freak out deflates and she continues to watch cautiously, whatever good that will do.

Cordelia walks with her cronies the next day speaking of gangs and a horrible night at the bronze and how Buffy was at the center of all the badness. Then she stops suddenly as she hears an eerily quiet voice whisper to her.

"She is coming sooner than you think, be aware of the watcher who will change it all," the voice says as it speaks in a slow quiet drawl. "S-e-e h-e-r."

Cordy slowly scans the school grounds until she stops and looks directly into the eyes of the girl who watches. She begins to speak in an eerily quiet whisper. "Choose your path watcher."

Girl starts screaming as she is given the scare of her life when everything goes black. Nothing can be heard not voices or animals not even a bloody cricket. All kinds of thoughts go through her now fragile mind. {Is she talking to me? She couldn't be. Am I losing my ever loving mind? That's a big yes on that one, Houston we have a problem.} Because this is beyond the craziest fucking thing that could ever possibly be even in the most warped mind. She contemplates what to do next and she freaks out about how eerily quiet and completely dark it is. Then she stupidly asks. "What should I do?"

"Choose Watcher."

"Ahhhhh!" she screams as the darkness speaks to her from right in her living room. She looks around in vain trying to find whoever might be in the room with her. Then she asks another silly question. "Choose what?"

"You're Path."

"Oh my I'm going to pee myself!!!" she says as she reels at the situation she is in. "How do I choose?"

All of a sudden all hell broke loose as the television blasts back on and flashes all seven season's of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on her television screen. This is amazing in itself considering she only has THE FIRST DISK OF SEASON ONE IN THE BLOODY PLAYER!!!!! It starts to slow down to a stop then the eerily quiet whisper says.

"Change Things."

She slowly gets up to take the disk out of the player and looks around as if something might jump out at her. She pulls the disk out and screams as a surge of power flows through her body feeling like one thousand watts of electricity. Her body starts to shimmer and she disappears dropping the disk to the floor in dead silence. The eerily quiet voice says.

"It begins."

That's it hope you like it review please.


	2. The New Girl

I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon does. Spoiler alert kind of for Buffy season one episode Teacher's pet. Now let us read and enjoy please.

The New Girl

Sunnydale, California

Buffy, willow and Xander are in Mr. Gregory's class watching a segment about ants and their habitat when Principle Flute comes in with a new student. The teacher turns off the teleprompter to give the floor to the principle.

"Hello class I would like for you to meet your new classmate Jessica Trish Cine," Says a cheerful Principle Flute. "She has moved here to out bright city of Sunnydale from the windy city of Chicago, please give her a warm welcome." Principle Flute quickly leaves the classroom so that the teacher can get back to his teaching.

Buffy looks her up and down to size her up and make sure she is not a new threat, Willow gives her one of her mousy smiles and a wave and Xander is too busy having several fantasies about her already.

"Well hello Miss Cine, have a seat and we'll see if one of our students can get you caught up on the subject we have been discussing," says Mr. Gregory.

Jessica scans the room for an empty seat finding one she awkwardly sits in front of a grinning Willow while Xander is still in daydream mode and Buffy continues to scrutinize her to make sure she's not evil in some way.

Somehow she seems so familiar to Buffy as if she has met her somewhere before but she could not remember from where or when. The feeling is so strong that she cannot put it on the back burner she has to talk to Giles about the almost nauseating déjà vu she is having over the new girl.

As Buffy considers the possibility of some new conflict, Jessica looks around as she has the same feelings of déjà vu but on a much larger scale. Her surroundings are very familiar to her; she already knows where every class is, the library, the cafeteria, the gym and even the damn boiler room. Earlier as Principle Flute led her to class, she already knows where she is going. This morning when Jessica Trish Cine is heading to school, she thought she would be completely lost and late for every class only to find that she knew the school from front to back hell she seems to know the whole damn town. She knows this is a little town but she should not know everything about it. Knowing all this information completely boggles her mind considering she has never been here before in her life.

At that moment, she notices Mr. Gregory talking to Buffy about the bugs the class was discussing. He was trying to get her to participate in class only to find that she has not read the material and a girl she was sure is called Willow tries to mime the answers to her.

Jessica laughs at Buffy's less than stellar grasp at charades. The teacher is mildly irritated over Willow trying to give Buffy the answers and Xander is embarrassed about Buffy implying he has body odor. Overall Jessica has a hilarious time in her first class of the day.

As the bell rings and the students go to their next class Mr. Gregory calls Buffy to the side to discuss her grades. He sufficiently strokes her ego and tells her that if she will just put her mind to it she will be an excellent student, which makes her peg him as one of her favorite teachers for his caring attitude towards her despite her colorful record.

Buffy leaves Mr. Gregory as he checks his bug slides. He sits in his chair and he can feel someone watch him but he shrugs it off and continues his work. Something gets closer and closer to him and then a hand touches his shoulder. He turns around to see his new student Jessica as she smiles down at him.

"Oh Hello Miss Cine, what can I do for you?" he asks as he looks over his glasses at her.

"Sorry to disturb you Mr. Gregory, but I was hoping to get some past assignments from you so I could get caught up and maybe I can get one of my fellow students to help me," she says as she looks around as if someone or something else is in the room. Then her eyes settle on his coat closet and she shivers sensing something evil coming from it.

"Oh that is an excellent idea Miss Cine and if I can make a suggestion, the best person to help you get caught up on your classes would be Miss Willow Rosenberg," says Mr. Gregory. "She is an excellent student and from what I hear a great tutor."

"Yeah, I figured as much from the display I saw today," she says as they both laugh.

Jessica starts to leave with her new assignments in hand when she gets the complete wiggins. She cannot leave her teacher alone in this room for some reason and she has to get him out of here somehow. However, how will she do this without him thinking she is some kind of a nut case? She sees the empty hallways and a plan formulates in her mind.

"Um…. Mr. Gregory, if I can ask one more favor of you?" Jessica sheepishly asks. "All of the students are already in their next class and seeing as I do not know the school that well, I'm wondering if you could show me to my next class?"

Mr. Gregory looks at her and smiles. "No problem Miss Cine, maybe later we could get you a tour guide as well."

She laughs at his obvious ribbing before she stops and gives the room another once over before Mr. Gregory guides her to her next class.

An extremely pissed off giant preying Mantis steps out of the coat closet as they vacate the premises. She transforms into a beautiful young woman, and stalks after an alternate victim, because the annoying little girl has whisked away her current one.

There it is finally the second chapter. It is a little slow but I just wanted to introduce the character to the universe and have her make a difference right of the back. She does not do anything supernatural just some plain old ingenuity. Hope you enjoy it and please review.


	3. Buffy, Bugs And Egg Sacks, Oh My

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the vampire slayer, Joss whedon does. Now that we have that straight, let us read and enjoy.

Buffy, Bugs and Egg Sacks, Oh My.

As Jessica gets ready for her night on the town, she thinks about how crazy the move to this little town has been so far. She thinks about telling her father how she has been feeling about everything but he will chalk it up to her not wanting to leave her old school and friends. She sighs as she realizes how hard it will be for her to make new friends. Especially in high school, it was hard enough making friends when you already knew people but when you were the new girl it was damn near impossible.

Jessica tells her father she is going to check out where the kids hang out in this town when he comes down the stairs to interrogate her.

"Okay Jess, what is the name of the place." Her dad asks as he crosses his arms.

Jessica thinks and remembers what one of her fellow students said the name of the place is. "From what I heard it's a place called the bronze."

"Do you have your cell phone?" he asks as he looks on her person for her cell phone.

"Yes Dad," Jessica sighs wondering when her dad is going to stop being overprotective.

"Good, and to answer your question Jess, I will never stop being overprotective over my only daughter so just deal with it missy." He smiles as Jessica looks at him with her mouth agape.

"You go have fun and make lots of friends baby girl, oh and don't forget to be home by 10:00 or you'll be grounded for the next decade," her dad says as a matter of fact.

"Yes, all-knowing one." Jessica mockingly says as she bows to her father.

"Watch it Jess, or you'll be stuck in this house instead of out having fun," her dad says as Jessica smiles sheepishly.

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A little while later Jessica walks into the bronze. The sheer number of people dancing and walking around overwhelming her as she enters, she almost turns to go home when she notices a familiar face talking to the jocks of the school. She waves and starts to walk towards Xander Harris. As he sees her he winks and gives her a come do me look and gestures that he will call her later. He walks away from the jocks he is talking to as he sees Willow and Buffy, and he hugs them as if they were both his girlfriends as he slyly grins at the jocks at the table.

Jessica raises an eyebrow. "What the hell was that all about?" she says to herself as she heads to the bar to order herself a sprite.

She looks around in the crowd to find a friendly face she could talk to or dance with when she notices a drop-dead gorgeous male near the entrance. He had dark spiky hair, black pants, and a black leather jacket with a white t-shirt underneath. He looks like someone right out of a Grease movie; all that was missing was his Harley Davidson.

He scans the place looking for someone, his gaze stops at Jessica as if he recognizes her and he starts to come towards her. Then a girl Jess recognizes as Buffy stops him in his tracks and they begin talking. Then in the most romantic gesture, Jessica has ever seen he gives Buffy his jacket. After a few more words, he leaves Buffy to her thoughts. Before he disappears into the night, he glances at Jessica one last time, wondering why she seems so familiar and why her smell was a bit off.

Jessica sighs. "Figures the most gorgeous male in the place would be mesmerized by the cutest blond in the room."

Buffy hearing this turns and rolls her eyes at Jessica then walks back to her waiting friends. Who then start to ask her loads of questions about the new guy.

Did I really say that loud enough for her to hear? Jessica thought to herself as she cringes. She comes out here to make some new friends but only manages to alienate herself from one of them already. "Great Jess, way to go on the friend making thing, you're a real natural." She finishes her drink and heads home.

As Jessica walks home, she feels someone behind her and starts to walk faster. The hairs on the back of her neck stand on end she walks even faster. Goose bumps form on her arm and she reaches in her purse for her mace and cell phone as she breaks into a run. She makes it home and quickly opens her front door, closes and locks it. Breathing hard she examines the front of her house from her window, seeing no one she relaxes and plops down on her couch.

"Jessica, you are a complete paranoid twit," she says to herself.

Outside a lone figure smirks from the shadows, having no intention on scaring the poor girl out of her wits he thinks it is for the best. Maybe she will have better sense than to walk home alone next time. Angel turns and walks away, thinking he may have to keep an eye on the new girl.

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The trio enters Mr. Gregory's class and notices a new teacher in his stead. The girls frown as they all take their seats, but it seems Xander and all the boys in the class are captive to her beauty and natural charm.

Jessica dashes in just shy of the bell and takes a seat. She grins from ear to ear, that is until she sees the new teacher and then she goes into worry mode for Mr. Gregory. She looks around for anyone for an explanation of his absence; only getting a few shrugs, she gives her full attention to the new teacher.

The teacher introduces herself as Ms. Natalie French, and that she will be substituting for Mr. Gregory for the next couple of weeks until his return.

"Do you know when he's coming back?" Buffy interrupts as her curiosity and concern gets the better of her.

"No I don't, um… Buffy, but I am told that he is out of town for a little while. His colleagues may have found a new type of bug and they wanted him to come and confirm their findings. It all sounds very exciting," says a smiling Ms. French.

She pauses to think before she continues." I was currently looking for a possible Job to nest in and Principle Flutie tells me where I was wanted."

I'll tell you where I want you," says a very lusting for the teacher, boy named Blaine.

"Excuse me Blaine?" asks Ms. French smiling, obviously hearing what he said.

"Um…" he tries to think quickly. "I was just wondering if you were going to pick up where Dr. Gregory left off," Blaine asks pretending to be interested in the subject.

Ms. French answers yes to his question and goes into the subject at hand, the preying mantis. She asks Buffy why the creatures live alone

Complete shock forms on Buffy's face as she looks up when the teacher calls her name, but quickly recovers with a very informative answer. "The words bug ugly kind of springs to Mind."

This causes the whole class to burst into laughter, but Ms French is not amused as is evident from the anger on her beautiful face. She quickly calms herself before she explains that the creatures live alone because they are cannibals. This statement gets a series of urrghs, eeews, and gaghs from the class.

She continues to explain how it is hardly their fault; it is how nature designed them. Finishing her lecture, she asks the class if they will help her make some model egg sacks for the science fair. All the boys in the class raise their hands and Ms. French is quite happy with this outcome.

Figures, Jessica thought as she notices all the gullible boys in the room with their hands raise like complete hormonal idiots. She watches as her teacher chooses two of the boys for the project. Something familiar comes to the forefront of her brain and she raises her hand to ask the teacher a question.

Ms. French gives her a look that would make Al Capone cringe. Jessica almost bumps her elbow as she quickly retracts her hand in total horror. The teacher finally acknowledges her need to ask her question and calls on her.

"Yes, Miss Cine, what is it that you wanted to ask?" Ms. French comes closer to her and her eyes turn completely black.

"Um… Well…" wait a minute did her eye just go black that is not right. "I was remembering something I read a while back on the subject and I was wondering if it was true that if a mantis hears bat sonar that their nervous system goes all wonky?" Jessica finishes terrified of her substitute teacher.

Natalie French gives her a murderous look and comes closer and closer to her desk. She gets right in her face before she replies to Jessica's damning question.

"Now, now Miss Cine let us not get ahead of ourselves, that's for another discussion," the teacher says irritated at the young girl. "Lets concentrate on the assignment, we would not want to kill your…, grades for lack of focus now would we child?"

Jessica sits back in her seat out of fright and she looks around to see if anyone notices the slight threat behind Ms. French words. No one is paying attention except for Buffy who is staring daggers into Ms. French. Great, Jessica thinks to herself, no one notices that but the petite blonde-haired girl in the class, which is going to help me out loads.

"Um, no Ms. French wouldn't want that at all, "Jessica squeaks and swallows hard.

Wow, this is crazy she thought, the substitute teacher already hates and wants to murder her within one session. That must be a record for any student. Jessica definitely cannot wait for Mr. Gregory to his post because she cannot take any more of this creepy over sexual bitch of a teacher much longer.

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Cordelia Chase comes barreling into the cafeteria as if she owns the place. Almost bumping into Buffy, she rudely utters an excuse you before going behind the counter to fix her lunch. She barks something about her doctor sending her a medically prescribed meal, and that she will only be here for as long as it will take her to hold her breath.

Cordy suddenly senses something oddly familiar and looks around the cafeteria and her eyes lock unto the new girl. An odd sense of déjà vu takes over and she blinks rapidly to get her equilibrium back on line. She comes out of her temporary imbalance and starts to wonder why she has this sudden fascination with the girl. It is not as if she has a keen fashion sense, quite the opposite in fact. Looking at her though she is not a total loss like for instance Xander or a complete horror like Willow, but she definitely is not up to the Queen C's standards.

Cordy shook herself out of her current thinking and back to her previous to dos, lunch. She opens the cafeteria refrigerator and lets out a blood-curdling scream, which gets the attention of everyone as they damn near jump through the ceiling. Buffy and Willow run over to see the extremely headless boy in the refrigerator, no one knows who it might be, not having a head and all.

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A day a one less bug later:

After school Jessica frantically searches for Willow Rosenberg, she hopes to snag her as a possible tutor to get her caught up on her classes. She rounds the corner and notices the trio head to their favorite hangout, the library. Jessica rushes to catch up to them before they enter but fails miserably as the halls are full of teenagers trying to escape their dungeon, while she is fighting against their exit to head towards the library. Sighing as she finally makes it to her destination, she peeps into the library window to see them having some sort of study session.

Not wanting to disturb them she almost turns to leave, but realizes if she does not get this over with she might not be caught up soon enough. Gaining some courage she marches into the library to make her presence known. At first, the gang does not notice her and she overhears them talk about a girl who is coming and how she will change things. Jessica becomes extremely light headed as that sense of déjà vu surrounds her and she almost faints, but the school librarian catches her before she could make her introductions to the floor.

"Are you quite all right young lady?" Giles asks as he holds her up.

"Yeah I'll be fine, I think," She says as she looks into the face of the most delicious looking british gentlemen she has ever seen. Jessica smiles wildly looking like a Cheshire cat as she wondered when librarians became so damned cute.

"May I help you find something?" Giles asks oblivious to the instant crush the girl has on him.

"Oh, uh… no," she says as she reluctantly takes her eyes off him and looks toward Willow. "I am here to ask if Willow can assist me with something," She notices that all eyes are on her and she slowly swallows her nervousness.

"What is this something you want our Willow to help you with, exactly? Buffy asks irritated about the interruption of an important scooby meeting.

A nearly frantic Jessica replies. "Well… you see… I am…" She trips over her words until a dam bursts forth. "IwaswonderingifIcouldgetwillowtohelpmewithmyassignmentsthatIambehindonandIdidnotmeantointerrupt," she says this in a complete babble worthy fashion that rivals even Willow. Too bad no one understands a word she has said.

"What?" the Scooby gang say in unison. Giles even smiles thinking that Willow may have found a long lost sister.

Jessica absolutely embarrassed by her outburst holds her head down and twiddles her fingers. Finally, she takes a deep breath to calm her nerves and she repeats her previous statement, with a lot less babble this time around.

"I was hoping I can get willow's assistance with my class assignments. Mr. Gregory has told me that she is the best student to get me caught up on everything." She sighs glad to get that out without incident this time. Jessica looks up and weakly smiles at everyone as they oddly observe her, she think to herself that she should have chose a better time for this conversation.

Willow smiles at her, proud and a little embarrassed that a teacher of Mr. Gregory caliber suggests that she, Willow Rosenberg, was the best student to choose from out of the whole school. "Does Mr. Gregory actually think that?" she asks going thoroughly red in the face.

"Yes Willow, he does," Jessica feels more comfortable with the way the conversation is going, that is until she becomes aware of Buffy staring holes in her head. She visibly flinches and starts looking for a way of escape. She nearly laughs aloud at her situation but thought better of it. It will not be a good idea to laugh in the face of danger and danger is what she feels she is in right now, the lion's den, the spider's web, the damn dragon's lair and she is trying her best to find a way out without harm coming to her person.

"Look Willow, I will really appreciate your help, but I'll understand if you don't want to," Jessica says as she looks downtrodden." I will find someone else to help me."

She starts to walk out of the library when Willow steps up and blocks her exit. "Hey, wait a minute; you do plan on letting me accept or decline your offer, don't you?" Willow asks with a bit of a frown on her face.

"I'm sorry, that was rude of me, but I do not like the reception I am getting and thought I overstayed my welcome." Jessica looks back at the library occupants as she says this.

"Oh, don't mind them they will come around once they get to know you and realize you're not some type of monst… Willow stops just in time to rephrase her slip of the tongue. " I mean once they realize that you are a real person and not a Cordelia.

"Okay, that's fine would not want to be caught being a non person anyway. Does this mean that you will not mind helping me?" Jessica smiles beamingly at Willow.

Willow smiles right back. "I'll have you caught up before you know it; we just have to set up a few study dates."

Willow guides her to a different table away from conversations about girls who watch, and how she will change things. Willow sets several study dates with Jessica that will not interfere with her Scooby duties, hopefully.

As Willow and Jessica finish their first study session, Buffy tentatively approaches. She stares at Jessica and her slayer senses go haywire, but not in a vampire or demon present way. She has no idea what to make of that so she shakes it off for later review.

"Jessica," Buffy laughs as Jessica almost jumps out of her skin. "I wanted to thank you for helping me earlier, you are a life saver."

Confusion sets in for Jessica as she racks her brain for what Buffy was referring to, having no memory of the two of them ever talking to one another let alone helping each other, she gives up.

"What are you speaking of Buffy?" Jessica scratches her head.

"Yesterday in class you mention something about bat sonar and its effects on the praying mantis, that was a real help on a pet project of mine and let's just say I really killed my competition." Buffy says with a smirk.

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Later that evening at the coroner's office they find out through fingerprints that the headless boy is a high school nerd by the name of Warren Mears. They only had his fingerprints on files because he stole some stuff out of a computer store last year and the owner catches him and presses charges. Warren tells them he wants to make a robot girl similar to what they do in the movie Weird Science, and that is why he stole the equipment. The police let him go, laughing about how nerds are at a completely new level these days. Too bad we will not get to see what he will become, the coroner thought sadly.


	4. The Bus Ride

Disclaimer: You are seriously delusional if you think I own any of this, I assure you I do not. The incomparable Joss Whedon does. P.S- spoilers kind of for Never Kill a Boy on the First Date, now on with the reading.

The Bus Ride

The Master is extremely annoyed, furious over the complete incompetence of his minions. He begins to read to them the prophecy about the anointed one as he speaks he grabs one by the throat. "The anointed one will be my greatest weapon against the slayer, If you fail to bring him to me," He tightens his grip around his neck. "If you allow that girl to stop you," the Master throws the minion across the room, where he lands hard on a piece of furniture breaking it. "Here endeth the lesson," the Master angrily looks to the remaining minions as they leave in a rush to do his bidding.

Why does he surround himself with such incompetence? The Master thought to himself. It was so hard to find a good minion these days. If they ruin his plans, he will eviscerate every one of his worthless minions.

He also senses a new power in play; he could feel it within his very being. Its goodness sickens him and makes him want to retch. The Master knew that it is already changing things and that does not please him. He will find this power, tear out its heart and feast upon it.

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Entering the cafeteria, Buffy and Willow talk about Buffy's latest crush, Owen. They take their seats beside Xander and both girls get giddy about the prospects of dating.

Xander interrupts their girlish musings to see if they know what the mystery lunch is, they have no clue. "By the way Willow, where's your new shadow, you guys have been inseparable for the past week, what gives?" Xander says while trying to shake the mystery lunch of his spoon.

"Oh, Jessica went to Chicago with her dad for a few days, I think she will be back some time tonight," Willow says, obviously excited about her new friends return. She was also upset because Buffy and Xander had yet to warm up to her new friend. Not understanding why exactly, Jessica was delightful to be around, funny, smart, and a little jumpy. Maybe it will take a little more time for her friends to join the cause that is Jessica.

Xander then brings up Buffy's slaying a little too loudly and Buffy scolds him for his non discretionary outburst. She then starts to tell them about the prophecy about the latest big bad. Willow goes into slight worry mode and suggests that the situation is not good.

They all notice Owen sitting by himself at the table next to them. Buffy goes to sit next to him to the delight of Willow and the complete dread of Xander. Before she can take a seat, however, Cordelia tries to take her out with her hips and knocks Buffy's food to the floor.

"Boy, Cordelia hips are wider than I thought, "Buffy says to Owen, annoying the cheerleader thoroughly.

Cordy tries unsuccessfully to invite Owen to The Bronze with her and a group of friends, but he seems mildly disinterested at the thought of going somewhere with the Queen C. He asks Buffy if she will be there.

Buffy's disappointment to Cordelia obvious flirting turns into joy as he asks her on a date to The Bronze, totally ignoring Cordelia's irritation she says yes.

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Willow and Buffy walk joyfully to the library, talking about her upcoming date with Owen. They meet an anxious Giles at the entrance and try to get him in on the conversation and notice that he is not sharing in their enthusiasm over boys and dating.

They all walk into the library as he begins to tell them about a prophecy that is to happen tonight concerning the Order of Aurelius. Buffy interrupts his tirade as she pouts and begins to go into a rant of her own.

"Not okay, it can't be tonight," Says a frantic Buffy.

Giles looks indignant, thinking she was telling him he has made an error. "My calculations are precise."

"There bad calculations, bad!" Buffy says as she nearly shakes her head off her shoulders.

Willow interrupts to try explaining things a little more clearly than Buffy seems to. "Buffy has a really important date."

"Owen!" Buffy says his name pleading to Giles to understand her plight.

Giles looks completely frustrated with his slayer; she should learn to get her priorities straight he thought to himself. "Alright, I'll just jump in my time machine, go back to the twelfth century and ask the vampires to postpone their ancient prophecy for a few days, while you take in dinner and a show."

"Okay, at this point you're abusing sarcasm," Said an annoyed Buffy while rolling her eyes.

Giles bent down and put his knuckles on the table and started to do that thing he always love to do, give the speech that will scare the shit out of you and get you t o do what needs to be done.

"Buffy, this is no ordinary vampire, now we have to stop him before he reaches the Master.

"But, cute guy, teenager, post pubescent fantasies," Buffy whined and pleaded.

"Will just have to be put on hold," Giles said. "The dark forces are aligning against us and we have a chance to beat them back, tonight we go into battle." Giles said going off into one of his scary speeches again

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Patrolling was a bust and Giles is a little embarrassed about the situation. He thought the prophecy was going to happen tonight. All signs pointed to it happening tonight. He quite reluctantly lets Buffy go on her date.

Giles looks down into his book and read aloud. "Five shall die and from their ashes, the Anointed shall rise," he scans the cemetery one last time. "I was sure it was tonight."

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Jessica and her father decide to ride the airport shuttle bus to their house. They talk for a while about her schoolwork and her new friends as they travel home.

"Willow is amazing dad, she is way smart, and she's been an awesome friend to me," Jessica beams as she talks about the red head. "I have caught up on all my classes because of her with straight A's no less, Willow rocks."

That is excellent Jess, I am glad you made such a good friend so soon. I think I will like to meet the girl that brought out my baby girls full potential," her dad said while smiling at her.

Jessica turns away from her father to look out the window, feeling a little embarrassed about what her dad had said. "Dad, please don't call me that in front of all these people."

He laughs at her discomfort and then asks her something that has been on his mind lately. "Alright Jess, I'm going to ask you something and I want you to be completely honest with me, okay."

"Okay dad, you know I will, what do you want to ask me?" she asks bewildered to the serious turn to the conversation.

"Do I have to get the shotgun out for any potential boyfriends?" her dad asks with a silly gleam in his eye and a smirk on his lips.

Completely mortified Jessica puts her face in her hands to hide her dismay. "Dad what's wrong with you, I hope you don't say things like that when I bring Willow around. You might scare my only friend away."

Jessica father burst into laughter relishing in the fact that his daughter has no problems talking to him. He had worries about when she became a teenager that she would start to push him out of her world. He was glad when she did not. However, he still wanted an answer to his question so looked expertly to his daughter waiting for her to respond.

Avoiding his gaze, she tries to ignore him but cannot, so she sighs and answers the question. "Well there is this one boy in a few of my classes, I think he's cute and he keeps smiling at me when I see him," Jessica smiles at the memory of that. "There might be a possible something there."

Her dad smiles and they continue talking until her dad drifts off to sleep, but Jessica is too wired to sleep and starts on some homework the teachers have given her for the days she would be absent. She cannot wait to see Willow again; maybe she will invite her to a sleepover for the weekend. They could go shopping or to the movies or anything. Jessica was nearly bouncing in her seat thinking of the prospects.

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"Hello," Jessica looks up to see the cutest little boy greeting her and she wants to pinch his cheeks.

"Hey, little man how are you doing?" Jessica says as she reaches up and ruffles his hair.

"I'm okay," he says as he glances at his sleeping mother. "I and my mother are moving to Sunnydale to get away from my dad, after the divorce," he says the last part of that statement in the saddest little voice and Jessica's heart goes out to him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry little one, that's got to be hard on you leaving your dad and all," She glances at his mother before continuing. I'm sure your mom will take good care of you though," she looks to her father then smiles at the little boy.

"You see this man," the boy nods at her. "He's my dad and he is all I have left after my mom passed. He is a good dad and has been there for me through thick and thin and I keep him out of trouble."

Jessica leans in closer to whisper to the young boy. "You know how much trouble parents can get into, you can be there to keep her out of it," she said as she winked at him.

He giggles as he looks at his mom thinking what kind of trouble she could possibly get into. He turns back to Jessica and grins wildly. "That could keep me busy for a very long time," He says to her and she bursts out laughing almost waking her dad.

"My name is Jessica by the way and you are…." Jessica see's him hesitate for a moment and smiles. Good at least his mom taught him to be somewhat wary of strangers she thought to herself.

The little boy contemplates if he should tell this strange girl his name, he should not even be talking to strangers but he could not help himself. He is compelled to talk to her. "My name is Collin," he says almost to quiet for her to hear.

"Hello Collin, nice to meet you, maybe we will see each other again in Sunnydale," Jessica says. You can tell your mom that if she ever needs a babysitter, I am her girl. Jessica Trish Cine, babysitter extraordinaire.

Collin frowns at her and puffs out his chest. "I don't need a babysitter, I am old enough to take care of myself," He says this to her while looking quite indignant.

Smiling at him knowingly Jessica pats his hand." I know you are, being the man of the house and all, but if you ever need anyone to beat you in all your video games give me a call."

Collin harrumphs loudly at that, turns, and sits back in his seat with his arms crossed. "That will be the day when a g-i-r-l beats me in anything."

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Sitting back in her seat Jessica quietly laughs at the boy's outburst. She then looks over to the man sitting next to her as he with a deep and creepy voice starts to preach about fire and brimstone. Oh great she thought, one of those type of preachers.

He begins to scare everyone on the bus as he gets into their faces and preaches about the coming judgment. Her dad finally having enough of his sermon tells him to sit down and keep his last day revelations to himself.

The creepy preacher turns to her dad and says. "Are you willing to stand with the righteous?" Then everyone screams as the bus jerks off the road and hits a tree knocking all from their seats. The driver turns and asks if everyone is okay. As they nod, he goes outside to see if the person who he hit was okay.

Jessica's father watches in horror as the person he thought for sure was dead brutally attacks their driver. Then all hell breaks loose and windows are broken from the outside. Assailants start to attack and drag the passengers out through windows as they fight and scream.

Jessica looks up and notices Collin and his mother trying to fight off an attacker. They grab Collin and try to drag him through a window. She quickly jumps up, grabs Collin by the waist and tries to pull him back into the bus. The attackers pull is too strong for Jessica and she starts to lose Collin to his grip.

The boy screams and Jessica cries out to her dad for help, he leaves preacher to fend for himself as he goes to his daughters aid. He punches the assailant in the face as Jessica and the boy's mother try to pull him in to safety, but the attacker only growls and reinforces his grip on the boy.

Jessica gets an idea and tells her dad to hold on to Collin as long as he can, she goes into her purse and gets her mace. She hopes it still work, as she remembers Willow tampering with it one day at lunch. Jessica asks her what she did to it, Willow said that she refilled the container. Leaving Jess confused as to why she would have her own stash of mace ingredients.

Jessica returns to the window and proceeds to spray the assailant with mace. He quickly releases the boy, cups his face with his hands as it starts to smoke. Jessica looks at her bottle wondering if it was supposed to do that, Willow had definitely put a little something extra in it. She looks at Collin and says. "Wow, that was a close call."

All thoughts of that quickly wipe away when Collin screams as one of the assailants violently pulls Jessica out the window and away from the bus.

To be continued. Hope you like, please review.


	5. We Don't Need Any Stinking Anointed One

Disclaimer: I own nothing, Buffy belongs to Joss, caveman grunts. Unless I can hit him on the head with big stick, no still no own. Now let us get on with the show.

We Don't Need Any Stinking Anointed One.

Jessica's dad turns abruptly when he hears Collin scream, and he sees something that makes his heart sting and burn in his chest. He looks on as one of the goons they are fighting drag his only daughter through the bus window.

"Jessica!" he yells as he tries to reach her before they can take her, but he is too late. He tries to think as his heart is thumping so hard he can feel it in his head. Looking around trying to find some way of rescuing his daughter, an idea forms in his head and he takes over the driver seat. Driving in the direction that his daughter is he thinks to himself that his plan just might work if Jessica could keep her attacker at bay and somehow escape his clutches.

Jessica was struggling against the grip of her assailant to no avail. He has her by the hair and drags her across the field to do God knows what to her. She is crying uncontrollably when she notices the bus barreling towards them with her father at the wheel. So did the goon holding her as he pulls her up from the ground and places her in between the bus and himself. Great, Jessica thought, were going to play chicken with the eight-ton bus; this should be loads of fun. However, just before the bus reaches them, preacher came barreling out of nowhere and tackles the both of them to the ground. Her dad yells at that moment telling her to run for the bus. She gets up as quick as she can, tries to run as fast as she can but limps along the way. Finally reaching the bus she glances back to see if preacher was following only to find him still struggling with her assailant. As he is brutally beat to death by the goons, she hears him yell. "The righteous shall be saved," she quickly enters the bus as the goons focus their attention back to her and the survivors.

Her father puts the petal to the metal and high tails it out of there. When they were miles away from danger, he looks in the rear view mirror to access the damage. "How many did we lose?" He sadly asks the remaining passengers.

Collin's mother scans the bus to see how many were missing and turns back to him to answer. "I believe we have lost five people, that includes preacher and our driver," she said as she tightens her hug on Collin with tears in her eyes.

He nods, sad about the loss of all those innocent people. How could this happen? It was right out of someone's worst nightmare, the strength and viciousness of the goons was unbelievable. This is not a normal thing to happen, and they are all very lucky that the majority of them made it out alive. Coming out of his thoughts, he set his attention back to his daughter who still has not made any effort to get off the floor of the bus and take a seat. She also looks somewhat ashen and one of the passengers is trying to hold her up. He stops the bus abruptly and goes to tend to his daughter.

"Jess, are you alright?" He asks, as he looks her over and notices that her pant leg is drenched in blood.

Jessica wobbles a little as she looks up at her dad. "I don't know dad, I feel kind of light headed," she says as she sways back and forth.

Jessica's dad rolls up her pant leg and everyone in the viewing vicinity gasps. There was a deep gash in Jessica's lower leg and blood was pouring out of the wound. "Jessica hang in there sweetheart, I'm going to get you to a hospital," he says as he gets back behind the wheel and rushes to the nearest hospital.

Collin rushes to her side to hold her hand and Jessica looks around bewildered to her dad's sudden urgent tone. "Dad I'll be fine, I'm just a little light headed," she says as she looks down at her exposed leg and saw the gash and the flowing blood. "Oh my, that's an awful lot of blood," she says as her eyes roll to the back of her head and she gives in to the call of unconsciousness.

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A day and a night later Buffy defeats the resurrected preacher, everyone thinking that he was to be the anointed one the prophecy talks about. As she stands in the funeral home with her friends and her watcher, she is both happy and sad with the outcome of today's events. That is until she hears Willow gasp and start to cry.

She rushes to her side concerned. "What is it Willow, What's happened?" she asks as she notices Willow holding the newspaper Giles showed her earlier.

"Buffy, Jessica was on that bus that those vamps attacked!" Willow frantically says. "She's in the hospital; they say she's been hurt pretty badly."

"Calm down Wil, we will get everything situated hear and we'll go and see how she's doing tomorrow okay," Buffy says as she tries to comfort Willow all the while feeling a little guilty about not stopping this before now. Maybe it would not have turned deadly.

Willow tries to calm herself down as she reads further. "It says she was hurt badly when her and her father tried to rescue several passengers from the attack," Willow says with tear-filled eyes.

"Well that was quite foolhardy of them to try and take on several vamps like that," Giles said as he took his glasses off and cleaned them.

"Says the man that went off by himself to a funeral home full of vamps," Xander smiles as Giles looks quite sheepish.

At that moment, Owen wakes up from being knocked unconscious by preacher. "Does anyone have an aspirin," he says as he rubs his head and tries to get up. "Or sixty."

Buffy rushes to his side clearly relived that he is not dead. "Owen."

"What happened to that guy?" Owen looks around thinking he may return.

Buffy looks around at her friends, and tries to think of something to tell him. "Oh, we scared him away," she says as she helps him up off the floor. "I'm sure this isn't exactly what you had in mind for a first date."

"Yeah… I was hoping maybe we'd finish up at Ben and Jerry's," he says while still looking a little wobbly.

Buffy looks a little hopeful, maybe she can salvage a little sanity out of this horrible first date. "We still could."

No, I think I will just walk home," Owen stumbles toward the door. "Which way is home?"

"I'll get you there," Buffy says as Willow and Xander rush to catch an unsteady Owen.

"We'll make sure he gets home safely," Xander says to Buffy as he and Willow lead Owen out the door.

Giles walks up to Buffy ready to give her some comforting words about her debacle of a date. "Buffy if I might…"

Buffy puts her hand up to stop his speech. "Don't," she says sadly and proceeds to walk out the door.

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Jessica wakes up to find her dad staring at her intently, he had several bags under his eyes and you could tell he'd been crying. "Hey princess, glad to see you awake," he said with a faint smile on his face.

"Dad, where are we? What happened?" she said as she looks at him.

"You were hurt pretty badly in the attack, you're in the hospital," her dad says while he rubs her hair. "You scared the hell out of me Jess, I can't lose you your all I have left," he said to her as he held back the tears.

"I'm not going anywhere daddy, it will take more than a few crazy goons to separate the Cine family," Jessica gave him a brilliant smile all the while trying to hold back a few tears of her own.

Jessica's dad smiles back at her and kisses her forehead. "Well it seems that I'm not the only one you had worried," he says as he glances past Jessica just to the other side of her bed.

Jessica turns her head to the side and notices a sleeping red head in a chair beside her, and she can hold out no longer, as fresh tears fall down her face. She quickly wipes them away and returns her attention to her father.

"So, I see you've met Willow," Jessica says as she tries to keep the tears from falling.

Her dad smiles at the memory of meeting her friends. "Yes, I have, right along with a certain blond girl named Buffy, a boy I think I shall polish my shotgun for, named Xander and your school librarian Mr. Rupert Giles. I say Jess when you make friend you don't half step do you."

Jessica laughed aloud at her dad's statement and then she gives her full attention to her friend. "How long has she been here?"

"They all came after school was over; it's now just past 6:30. The others left for home but Willow refused to leave and I had to promise them I would take her home before they left her here. Honestly, like a will leave a young girl to walk home by herself after dark," her father looks quite insulted by the insinuation.

"Dad I'm sure they did not mean anything by it, and I'm sure you can understand their concern especially considering what happened to us," said Jessica.

She then looks to her friend and smiles, reaching out she touches her leg to try to wake her. Willow wakes up with a start. "Burn the tadpoles," Willow says as she jumps terrifyingly from her chair.

Jessica and her dad burst out laughing. "Burn the tadpoles?" They both look at her questioningly

"I have frog fear," Willow says with embarrassment.

"Oh, I totally understand that Willow. I'm completely terrified of spiders," Jessica says as she shakes off the disgust she feels for the eight legged insect. "By the way Willow, what was it that you put in the mace it almost burned the face off the guy I used it on."

Willow looks frantic, what can she tell Jessica. She cannot possibly tell her that she had put holy water in the bottle and that the reason the goons face melted off was because he was a vampire. No, that will be a quick fire way to end their friendship and get her a nice little padded cell of her own.

"I don't know what you mean Jessica I only refilled it with the same thing." Willow said and then tries to change the subject. "I got more assignments for you from your teachers, if you give me the ones you finished I'll turn them in for you."

Jessica's face fell as she thought about more homework. "Great I'm going to be buried in homework forever, my own private little hell."

"What did the police tell you about the attack Mr. Cine?" Willow asks.

"Well the great Sunnydale police said it was a gang pumped up on PCP of all things, like I believe something that preposterous," he replies angrily.

"Yeah, a gang that has no guns and doesn't steal. That sounds a little fishy to me," Jessica almost laughs at the ridiculous story that the cops came up with.

Willow was just glad that she has dodged a bullet, but she realizes that she might have to dodge a lot of them. Having Jessica as a friend meant that she will have to hide a lot of Scooby type stuff from her and that was going to be hard considering Jessica very observant and inquisitive ways. Willow turns to see Jessica giving her a questioning look and she nervously smiles.

At that moment, a little boy and his mother came in to see Jessica and her father. The boy smiles as he sees Jessica and runs to her and gives her a big hug. "Jessica, I'm glad you're alright, I was so scared for you." The little boy says as he looks at her with sad eyes.

"Yes, you had a lot of us quite worried about you, little missy," Said Collins mother. "We came to see how you are doing and to say goodbye."

"Say Goodbye?" Jessica asks, confused.

"We have decided to find another more hazard free place to leave," she said as she smiles at her son. "I also want to thank you Jessica for saving my boy's life, I don't know what I'd do if I lost him."

"Oh no problem, we were all looking out for each other on that bus and a lot of lives were saved because we worked together. You guys saved my life as well remember, and I couldn't let anything happen to the one I plan to one day beat in every last one of his video games now could I," she said as she gave Collin her most dazzling smile.

Collin crosses his arms and gives her an incensed glare. "Like I said before, that will be the day." He politely walks out and everyone laughs.

Jessica notices the roses on her bedside table and she looks at her dad to see if he knows who they were from, he shrugs and tells her he did not know who they were from. So she picks up the card to see if it will shed some light on things.

Jessica, beautiful dark flower in the night I have missed your presence in my life Please come back to my heart and stay

I hear you were hurt, I hope you get well soon. Yours truly JL.

Jessica smiles, this could not be from who she thought it was could it, her smile widens as she holds the card closer to her heart.

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In the deep depths of the hellmouth, you could hear the Master scream in rage over his plans being foiled and he knew it was that new power that he senses, if it was the last thing he does he will find this meddling power and tear it limb from limb. This was war and this annoying little upstart will regret coming into his domain and changing things.

Hope you like it, someone please review, please with sugar on it. Tell me what you think.


	6. Bullies

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, It belongs to the most brilliant and sexy Joss Whedon. There are spoilers for the episode The Pack.

Sorry for the very late update, but it seems that computer problems are running rampant these days and I had to change my internet service, I hope you have not given up on me. Hope you like the chapter it took me a while to figure out how to do it. Read and enjoy now!

Bullies

Class field trips are fun, exciting and full of so many wonderful things to see and explore, when it is not in a smelly zoo, full of smelly animals and irritating bullies who like to trip girls with crutches. "Hey watch it ass wipes," Jessica advises the four brainless wonders who almost knocks her to the ground. Why did every school have to have mindless bullies that like to show their talent by making everyone else's life miserable? It was as if someone was out there inbreeding them or something.

"Shouldn't cripples be a part of the zoo, not on the outside looking in," they walk away not giving her a second glance.

Jessica politely awards them with the middle finger. "Ha ha, that's very funny coming from the four flying monkey's," she yells at their backs as they ignore her.

Stalking over to Buffy, the four start to torment her with insults. None of their bottomless chatter seems to faze her until they say something about her being kicked out of her old school. Buffy looks stricken as they walk pass her laughing like the witless wonders they are.

Jessica hobbles over to Buffy and gives the four stooge's one last scathing glare. "Don't mind those idiots Buffy; they don't have enough brain cells to give a serious thought to anyway."

"Oh hi Jessica, I didn't know you were out and about. How are you feeling?" Buffy asks as she glances at Jessica's leg.

Jessica smiles at her as she moves her leg around. "The leg is a little sore, but it's healing up nicely. I still have to deal with the stupid crutches though," she lifts up a crutch to emphasize her point. "The Doctor says I should be rid of the darn thing in a day or so.

Willow and Xander ran up to join them and the duo look quite happy about something. "We just saw the zebra's mating, thank you very much, very exciting," a very enthusiastic Xander grins from ear to ear.

"It was like the Heimlich, with stripes," Willow said just as ecstatic about the subject as Xander.

Buffy and Jessica smirk at one another thinking to themselves how can anyone possibly get so excited about mating zebra's."And I missed it, yet somehow I'll find the courage to live on," Buffy said as the four of them start to trek through the zoo.

Xander is at a complete loss about Buffy's less than jubilant quip to their findings. "I'm feeling that you're not in the field trip spirit here," He looks over at Buffy and Jessica in disappointment.

Jessica shrugs and Buffy tries to explain that her attitude toward field trips stem from having to do it over and over and over again at her old school and that's why she has the been there done that vibe going on.

"Amen to that," Jessica proclaims in response to Buffy's explanation.

"Buffy, Jessica, this isn't about just looking at a bunch of animals, this is about not being in class," Xander looks at them as if he has given them the Holy Grail of information and that they should have thought of this long ago.

Buffy's countenance brightens considerably at the notion and she gets a little pep in her step as they stroll and look around. "You know you're right, suddenly the animals look shiny and new."

Xander puts his arm around Jessica and Willow and he smiles, happy that he can offer enlightenment to those who may be lacking. "Gotta have perspective."

"Yeah, no homework for today," Jessica brightens thinking she has finally caught a break from the endless hell of homework, that is until she notices the chastising look Willow is giving her.

"Not for you young lady, you still have a few things you have to finish up, so much homework for you," Willow said, then immediately looks apologetic for putting a damper on the current festive attitudes. "I'm sorry; I did not mean to stop the party bus."

Buffy and Xander laugh at how Willow, no matter what the circumstance can still think of schoolwork, while Jessica just looks completely downtrodden at the thought of not being able to escape her endless torment. Then she looks across the way and sees a certain boy watching her, she turns to her group of friends and lets them know that she will catch up with them later and she trots off to greet her admire.

"Hi Jonathan how are you," Jessica smiles at the now nervous boy.

Jonathan takes in a breathe; he cannot believe a girl was talking to him let alone the one he has been noticing of late, he looks around and notice that his friend is laughing at him and he hits him in the head before he returns his full attention to Jessica. "H..h..hello Jessica, Nice to see you outside of the hospital."

"Yeah, thanks, it does seem that I spend most of my time getting hurt since I've moved to good old Sunnydale. She smiles as she realizes that her dad may have to get some extra insurance just for her and her magnetism for trouble and outright clumsiness.

"I want to thank you for the flowers you sent me, they were nice." Jessica says as she kisses him on the cheek.

Jonathan gets flustered and begins to blather about nothing in particular when Jessica notices the four bullies lug poor Lance off into a closed off part of the zoo and she gets nervous when Xander goes in after them.

Jonathan continues with his conversation until he realizes that she is no longer listening and her attention is now on her friends. He gains a bit courage and steps a little closer to her

"You know those three always seem to take care of their selves; you really don't have to worry about them," Jonathan whispers in her ear to regain her attention.

Jessica gets goose bumps from his breathe upon her ear and she has to take several steps back. It feels as though the heat jumps by ten degrees and she has to take in a quick breathe to cool down. She looks him in his beautiful brown eyes and does not have the strength to speak any longer. She continues to stare into his mesmerizing eyes.

"Jessica, oh Jessica," He shakes her shoulders when he gets no response from her. "Oh no, I think I broke her," he says to himself.

Jessica regains her composure before she can make a complete fool of herself. "Sorry Jonathan it just a little hot out here and I think I need to go and I see my friends heading for the bus, I should go with them and have a seat before I fall down, it was nice talking to you and I'll see you later."

Completely aghast about her babble fest she quickly turns tail and hobbles away embarrassed. "Great I've probably alienated the only boy that will ever notice me, nice going Cine," she takes one last look back and Jonathan smiles back at her. "Or maybe not," she smiles as she heads for the school bus.

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In school, the next day Xander sat rubbing his temples in frustration, Jessica felt like her head might explode, and Willow relishes in the pleasures of teaching the horrors of math.

"I'm not getting this," Xander yelled.

Willow continues to explain patiently. "It's simple really, see, the bisector of a vertex is the line that divides the angle at that vertex into two equal parts."

Jessica eyes cross as her mind flat lines and Willow explanation goes completely over her head. "Ha, what was that?"

"It's like a big blur, all these numbers and angles." Xander said while looking down at his math book.

"Yeah Willow you lost me at bisector, then my mind completely shut down," Jessica said as she looks on in confusion.

"It's the same stuff from last week, you both had it down then," Willow looked at the both of them not really understanding why they are having a hard time.

Xander gets angry at the whole situation and starts to yell at Willow. "Why do I need to learn this?"

Willow looks at him as if he should know the answer to that question. "Because otherwise you'll flunk math."

Xander sighs, frustration building up more and more within him. "Explain the part where that's bad."

"You remember, you fail math, you flunk out of school, you end up being the guy at the pizza place that sweeps the floor and says hey kids where's the cool parties this weekend. We've been through this." Willow said, looking sympathetic to his plight while Jessica grunts trying to hold back her laughter.

"Do you have a headache?" Willow asks as she touches Xander's head and he coldly brushes off her touch.

"Yeah, and I think I know what's causing it," he snatches the book from Willow lap and tosses it into a nearby garbage. "Ah, that's better; it goes right to the source of the pain."

"Wow, Xander, get a grip, just because we do not understand right away doesn't mean we have to have a complete melt down. Don't take it out on Willow, it's not her fault that we're mathematically challenged," Jessica said.

Willow put her hand on Xander knee to calm him down. "Xander…"

Xander brushes her hand away as his anger explodes. "Look forget it okay, I don't get it, I won't ever. I don't care," He gets up, throws the book back into Willow's lap, and stalks off stepping on Jessica foot in the process.

Jessica grimaces as the pain shoots up her leg. "Hey, watch where you're being a jerk."

Willow looks hurt at the abrupt rudeness of her best friend but immediately tries to hide it behind a smile as she sees Jessica watching her. "We can finish this another time."

"What's his problem, he's been acting bitchy every since the zoo trip," Jessica asks as she rolls her eyes at Xander's retreating form.

"I don't know, something must be on his mind or maybe this was too much too soon on the math thing," Willow said, hoping that was the problem. "We better get to gym class before were late."

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The gym teacher walks down the aisle of students as he notifies them of the cancellation of all the regular gym classes due to the rain and that they all have to play, wait for it, dodge ball.

Buffy, Willow and Jessica look on as Xander Joins what seems to be his new friends, the four flying monkeys. Watching in horror as they take out the weak with the ball, the first to go is poor Jessica. Xander aims for her bad leg and hits her hard; she goes down screaming. She limps back to the benches mumbling under her breathe and sending threatening glares at the pack.

One by one, Xander and his band of misfits take people out. Xander gets the ball and pummels Willow with it. She walks off the battleground sending him an angry stare as she takes a seat next to a seething Jessica.

Soon the only ones left are Buffy, who is on one side of the gym, and the pack along with Lance on the other side of the gym. Buffy looks nervous as the pack set their sights on her, but they suddenly turn on their teammate Lance and all at once start to pummel him with balls. Buffy runs over to see if Lance is okay as Xander and his gang walk out of the gym as if the whole thing is a bore.

After gym class, Willow confronts Xander about his behavior, she cannot believe the way her friend was treating everyone. Jessica stays on the sidelines just in case Willow needs her assistance.

"Xander, what's wrong with you?" Willow asks in her mousy voice.

Xander takes her aside to explain things to her in what seems like a gentle way. "I guess you've noticed that I've been different around you lately."

"Yes," Willow said as she waited for him to explain further.

"I think uhm, I think it's because my feelings for you have been changing." Buffy steps up to her locker and listens as Xander continue to account for his actions. "And well we've been friends for such a long time that I feel like I need to tell you something," he pauses for a moment to let her take in all that he has said, then he drops the bomb. "I've decided to drop geometry, so I won't be needing your math help anymore, which means I won't have to look at your pasty face again." Xander and his pack begin to laugh in Willows face and she walks off hurt.

"Willow wait, don't go." Jessica starts to go after her but cannot catch the fleeing girl. She stops and turns to Xander as Buffy approaches him.

"You gonna say something to me?" Buffy gets closer to Xander daring him to say or do anything.

Xander and his pack just continue to laugh at Willow's expense. Before anyone knew anything, Xander gets a right hook to the face and hits the ground; he glances up to see a very irate Jessica standing over him fuming.

"You unbelievable bastard, how can you say something like that to her knowing how she cares for you?" She was trying to get in and do more damage but Buffy was dragging her away from the scene of the crime before she can get into trouble.

"Wow their Jess, calm down." Buffy pulls Jessica outside to find Willow. "That's a hell of a right hook you have. Where did you learn to punch like that?"

"My dad taught me, and plus I take a few defense classes, not anything major but enough to get me by." Jessica was still visibly angry about the current situation. They see Willow sitting on the balcony near the stairs and head towards her.

"Can you believe him Buffy, to treat his best friend like this? Has he lost his mind and that laugh they sound like a bunch of wild hyena or something?" Jessica said as Buffy suddenly stops and ran back into the school at full speed.

Jessica sat down next to Willow wondering why Buffy ran off like that. "You know I'm starting to think that your friends have some serious issues that need some working out, and I'm including myself in that little scenario." she smiles at Willow. "How are you holding up, Wil."

I'll be fine, I guess I'm not used to Xander being so mean, not since that time he stole my Barbies." Willow smiles through her tears at the goofy look Jessica gave her for that comment.

"Xander stole your Barbie, please tell me this was not recently," Jessica said. "I don't think I'll ever look at him the same way. Breaking news, teenage boy stills Barbie."

"No, no, it was when we were little you big goof," Willow laughs at Jessica. "By the way, what did you say to Buffy to make her run off like that?"

Jessica thinks, and for the life of her, she cannot pick out any part of her conversation with Buffy that might have made her run. "I don't know, all I said is that Xander and his new found buddies laugh like a bunch of wild hyena's and she took off running. How weird is that?"

Willow sprang up from where she sat and darts back into the school, leaving Jessica at a complete loss to her friend's actions. "Was it something I said?"

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Jessica sighs as she gets up to go to her next class. Her free period was almost up and she did not want to be late sitting here thinking how strange her friends are. She walks past the pack minus Xander as Principle Flutie comes toward them fuming.

"You four," he looks at them in complete contempt.

The four of them return his glare with equal disdain. "What?" the second in command asks.

"Oh don't think I don't know; three kids saw you outside Herbert's room. You're busted, yeah, you're going down," the principal declares to the delinquents as they smile creepily at him.

"How is Herbert?" asks one of the girls of the group as she licks her lips.

"Crunchy," says the other girl in response, and they all start that dam hyena cackling.

Principle Flutie's anger escalates because of their total disregard for authority and he orders them to his office to hand out detentions.

Jessica stands watching and realizes that that might not go very well. What have they done to that poor little pig Herbert to get the usually calm principal so infuriated? Jessica starts to get that eerie feeling again, the feeling that she cannot leave her principle alone with the fab four. She can't go in their alone though, two against four is not what you would call good odds. She looks around when she notices members of the football team and she gets an idea.

"Hey Larry, can I talk to you for a moment," she smiles as he rolls his eyes at her.

"What do you want Cine, I'm pretty busy at the moment," Larry crossed his arms and gave her a you are bothering me stare.

Jessica smirks, jocks are always busy standing around and doing nothing but flexing their muscles. Larry on the other hand is something else entirely. "I need a really big favor of you. It's the principles birthday and I wanted to give him a present because he's been so nice to me since I moved here,"

"That's really quite peachy little girl, but what has that to do with me?" He asks sarcastically.

"Well as you know the principal is quite the football fan. He has been raving about how good the Sunnydale razorbacks are and how you in particular are one of the best players he has seen in a long time. Well I wonder if you and some of your team will come and sing happy birthday to him as I give him his present, I think it will make his day," Jessica crosses her fingers behind her back and gives Larry a radiant smile hoping that the ploy to stroke his ego will work.

Larry puffs his chest out and grins. "Did he really say I was one of the best players? That is awesome. I've been working hard on my plays this year and we're going to be number one if it's the last thing I do," He turns to his teammates and they all bump their chest together and scream. "RAZORBACKS NUMBER ONE, YEAH!"

"All right Cine, lead the way, it will be our pleasure to give back to one of our fans and principal," Larry said.

Jessica led some of the football team into the school to go and wish the principal a happy birthday or so they thought. Jessica stops at the door of his office to hear the principle screaming, she rushes in with the team to see the physical attack of their principal by the four bullies.

Jessica and her backup quickly move into action, Larry tackles two of the boys off Flutie and into the wall knocking the wind from them. Jessica picks up a chair and swings it down hard into the back of one of the girls and she crumbles to the floor. The other girl tackles Jessica to the ground and starts to bite her in her bad leg and she screams. Jess tries to knock the girl off her but she is too strong. It takes three jocks to pry the feral girl off Jessica and by the time they did the others regain their strength and decide to jump from the window and scurry away like wild dogs.

Jessica and principal Flutie stand up at the same time and they look at each other in bewilderment. Silence the only thing you can hear for several seconds.

Finally finding his voice the principal decides to break the silence. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but how did you know they would attack me?"

"We didn't, Jessica said it was your birthday and we came to wish you a happy birthday," said one of the jocks.

Confusion sets in on Flutie's face. "Well I'm glad for the thought but my birthday is not for another couple of months."

The occupants all turn to look questioningly towards Jessica; she squirms under their scrutiny and sheepishly glances down at her feet.

"Oops, my bad, I thought it was today," She smiles hoping that they will buy the lie.

Larry steps up before things can get any more awkward. "Well mistake or no, we were in the right place at the right time. Now we need to get you two to the hospital to make sure you are all right and call the police about this incident."

Jessica panics. "Not the hospital again, I just got out of that place don't send me back."

Principal Flutie laughs at her outburst as he sits on his desk. "Well I on the other hand will not mind going to get check up, and maybe some rabies shots, seeing as my students just tried to eat me," He turns red as he realizes what he said. "I did not mean that the way it came out."

Laughing Jessica walks over to grab his hand and drag him to the nurse's office. "Come on Mr. Flutie lets go get our rabies shots," she heads out refusing to give any thought to hospitals hoping that the school nurse is good enough to take care of their needs.

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Willow sits in the library watching Hyena eat their prey when Buffy drags an unconscious Xander in after he tries to attack her. They lock him in the library cage and Willow asks her how to get Xander back.

Buffy is anxious about other things. "Right now I'm a little more worried about what the rest of the pack are doing."

"The rest of the pack was spotted outside Herbert the mascot's cage. They were sent to the principal's office," Giles said as he somberly walks into the library.

''Good that will show them," Willow looks quite satisfied with the outcome while Giles did not. "Did it show them?" Giles sighs afraid to answer her question

"They didn't hurt him did they?" Buffy asks.

"They uh, tried to eat him." Giles answers as Willow takes a seat.

"They tried to eat principal Flutie?" Buffy asks looking quite disgusted with the thought of it all.

"Somehow Jessica and a portion of the football team fought them off. Jessica and principle Flutie are the only one to suffer minor injuries," Giles said, looking worn out from the day's events.

Buffy raises her eyebrow as she has a strange thought. "Is it just me, or is that girl always in the wrong place at the right time? That seems more than a coincidence to me."

"Well I'm just glad Xander did not have anything to do with the attack on the principal, he was with you Buffy. Willow said as she looks over at Xander in his cage.

Giles glances at Xander, thankful. "Oh, well that's a small mercy."

The trio spends the rest of the day trying to find out how to fix things when Buffy realizes that the man at the zoo might have something to do with what went wrong. Buffy and Giles go to the zoo to find out what the zookeeper knows while Willow stays to keep watch over her Xander.

As Buffy and Giles are out the pack comes to break Xander out of his cage and Willow has to make a break for it. They chase her through the school and Buffy and Giles has to come to her rescue. The trio lock themselves in a room and the pack run off to find new prey. Willow and Giles head to the zoo while Buffy goes off to look for the wild bunch.

Buffy finds the pack attacking a family and she intercedes and leads them on a wild chase back to the zoo. As she enters the hyena cage, she cannot see Giles anywhere and the zookeeper has Willow at knifepoint.

The pack knock Buffy to the ground as Willow screams that it was a trap; they start to feed on Buffy when the zookeeper yells at them in a strange language. The pack looks at him and the hyena spirit passes from them to the zookeeper. With a feral scream, he drops the knife and tries to eat Willow.

Xander yells her name, gets up and tackles the man away from Willow. A fight ensues and the possessed man punches Xander away from him, at that moment, Buffy steps in and starts pounding on the man. He is so out of control that Buffy easily flips him over her and into the hyena pit. The hyena proceeds to eat him alive as Buffy, Willow, and Xander all try not to watch.

Giles steps out of where the zookeeper put him. He looks at the already resolved chaos "Did I miss anything?"

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The next morning Buffy and Willow are giving Xander the low down on his odd behavior and his strange eating habits of the previous day. He becomes physically sick at the mention of him devouring poor little Herbert raw. Buffy and Willow are all under the impression that he does not remember his actions and all is forgiven.

Buffy and Willow leave Xander to go to their next class and he turns to see Giles smirk knowingly at him.

"I've been reading up on my uh, animal possession and I can't find anything anywhere about memory lose afterwards," Giles said as he looks at Xander.

"Did you tell them that," Xander said as he points back in the direction of Willow and Buffy.

Giles leans over to whisper in his ear. "Your secret dies with me."

Xander sighs with relief, but still disturbed about his actions. "Shoot me, stuff me, mount me," He walks away with his head down only to run right into Jessica and he thinks to himself that this day cannot possibly get any worse.

"Hi Jessica, how's it going?" he steps back as he notices her make a fist.

"Xander, I suggest you be on your way before I hurt you," she says as she tries to walk past him.

Xander blocks her path as he tries to salvage what might be left of their friendship. "Look Jess, I just wanted to apologize to you for the way I behaved and to thank you for sticking up for Willow like you did. You're a really good friend to her and I hope that you can forgive me for being such an asshole," He gives her his sad puppy dog eyes as he apologizes.

She looks him over trying not to fall for the pathetic face he is giving her and fails miserably. "I don't know what was going on with you for the last couple of days Xander but you were a total ass wipe and your choice of friends, not cool. But I guess if Willow can forgive you for your horrible behavior so can I," she rolls her eyes as he smiles wildly at her. "Don't give me that smile, you're on thin ice mister, one false move and you're going down."

They start to walk and Xander puts his arm over her shoulder and they head for their next class together. Giles stands back watching them leave, contemplating what Buffy said about Jessica always being in the wrong place at the right time.

"I shall keep a close eye on that one for the time being." He said to himself as he heads for his second home, the school library.

The End, hope you like, this is my longest chapter to date. I started this and it became a monster. Please Review.


	7. Boyfriends And Big News

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, that honor goes to Joss Whedon. I am almost done with the first season hooray. There are spoilers for the episode Angel.

Boyfriends and Big News

Sitting in his lair, the Master is livid over all the family he has lost to the slayer and the new power his minions have yet to discover. He lost what was to be his greatest alley to this thorn in his side and he was going to discover who it was if it was the last thing he did. He had enough of just sitting back and letting the good side get the upper hand.

Darla walks into her Master's lair as he contemplates his plans. "Zachary didn't return from the hunt last night," the Master says in great disappointment.

Darla stops in her tracks afraid that the Master will take his disappointment out on her in some way. "The slayer," she says, hoping to refocus his anger to someone other than her.

"Zachary was strong and he was careful. Still the slayer takes him as she has taken so many of my family. She has help destroying that which is mine, it wears thin," The Master sulks over his ongoing dilemma. "Its time to stop playing nice and annihilate the competition."

Darla perks up and rushes to her Master's side with great enthusiasm at the thought of wrecking havoc. "Let me do it Master, let me kill her for you."

He is highly doubtful of her ability to perform, as she ought to. "You have a personal interest in this," he declares to her.

"I don't get to have any fun," Darla smiles mischievously

"I will send The Three, they will succeed in finding and killing both my problems," The Master seems quite happy with his thoughts.

"The Three," Darla says in alarm.

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The three walk menacingly towards The Bronze and the ones that litter the streets run in terror at their presence. They reach their destination and wait in hiding for the slayer to show.

Inside the bronze Buffy, Willow and Jessica sit together talking. Well Willow and Jessica talk while Buffy drifts off into her daydreams.

"Ah the fumigation party, hmm, it's an annual tradition. The closing of The Bronze for a few days to nuke the cockroaches," says Willow.

"Oh," Buffy says, not hearing a word of Willow's banter.

"It's a lot of fun. What's it like where you are?" Willow says as she looks into Buffy's eyes.

"Earth to Buffy, are you in there?" Jessica waves her hand in front of Buffy face to get her attention.

Buffy looks up at the both of them and smiles in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking about things.

Willow glances at Jessica knowing exactly what things Buffy was thinking of. "So we're talking about a guy."

"Not exactly a guy, for us to have a conversation about a guy there would have to be a guy for us to have a conversation about," Buffy scrunches her face up at her own words. "Was that a sentence?"

Willow sympathizes with Buffy sadness. "You lack a guy."

"I do, which is fine with me most of the time but," Buffy does not finish her sentence and she seems to go off into space again.

"What about Angel?" Willow says, once again bringing Buffy out of her trance.

Jessica smirks at Buffy remembering all too well the last time she saw them together, you could cut the chemistry with a knife. "Yeah Buffy, the two of you seem to hit it off pretty well when I saw you together, total potential guy in that hottie."

"Angel, I can just see him in a relationship. Hi honey you're in grave danger, I'll see you next month," Buffy stops abruptly as she remembers that one of her companions is not in the know of slayer things. She tries to think of something to cover her tracks and fails miserably.

Jessica raises an eyebrow in confusion. "What the hell does that mean?" she looks at Willow then back to Buffy waiting for one of them to explain and they slyly ignore her query of the subject.

"You know I really do believe that you guys are hiding something important from me and mark my words, I will find out what it is one day," Jessica pouts at them, as both Buffy and Willow look panicky.

Willow steps in to continue the boy problems. "Angel's not around much, it's true."

Buffy smiles, secretly thanking Willow for her timely save and Jessica just sighs about the secrets that her friends keep from her. Then Buffy's thoughts go to Angel her cryptic stranger in the night. "When he is around it's like the lights dim everywhere else. You know how that is with some guys?" she asks Willow and Jessica while they all grin at the thought of heart stopping men.

"Oh yeah," Willow and Jessica simultaneously respond as they glance at the boys they both hope can be potential boyfriends someday. Willow to Xander and Jessica to Jonathan.

Jonathan notices her glance and tentatively walks over to the table. "Hi Jess, I was wondering if you would like to dance?" he asks her very unsure of himself.

She smiles at him and stand up from her chair. "I would love to dance, Jon Jon."

Jonathan blushes at the nickname then whisks her away to the dance floor. Buffy looks at Willow and smiles. "I didn't know she was into midgets."

"Buffy," Willow squeaks her name. "That's not nice at all, they look cute together," she says to her all the while trying to hold back her laughter.

"She's like a foot taller than him Willow," she says as she glances at the dancing couple.

"Size doesn't matter Buffy, it is how you feel," Willow blushes as she realizes what just came out of her mouth and Buffy burst out laughing glad she was feeling better and that the night is getting a little interesting.

They watch as the couple tear up the dance floor. Jonathan was really quite the dancer as he swung his partner around and dips her and her leg lift limberly into the air, he looks as if he is about to kiss her passionately but he suddenly brings her back up and pulls her close to him seducing her every step of the way. Ignoring the crowd as they stop and watch they breeze across the dance floor effortlessly in each other's arms. She cups his face like the temptress she is and he wraps her leg around him and dips her once more. As the song ends, he lifts her and spins her away and as she stops spinning, she dips her body and expands her long limber leg out for the climax.

Several people start to clap for the couple and their dance moves. Jonathan starts to blush and Jessica looks down in embarrassment as they both realize that they had lost themselves in front of a majority of their peers. They look each other in the eye and smirk.

Jonathan and Jessica take a seat at another table at his suggestion. He wanted to ask her something without having extra ears to snoop. He orders drink for the both of them and then she starts the conversation.

"That was a lot of fun, I did not know you knew how to dance like that Jonathan," Jessica grins from ear to ear

He smiles at her as his nervousness melts away; she always made him feel so comfortable. This is why he resolutely deals with the situation at hand and blatantly asks her a question.

"Jessica I want you to be my girlfriend," Jessica chokes on her drink not really expecting his bluntness, but she quickly recovers and beams at him.

"Yes," was all she can manage to say before he grabs her and thoroughly kisses her.

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After Angel and Buffy fight of the three and run for their lives, she invites Angel into her home to escape the vamps. The vamps reluctantly leave having lost their prey. In the Kitchen Buffy tends to the wounds of a shirtless Angel and they almost have an intimate moment when she hears her mother come through the front door. She rushes to head her mother off at the pass. She begins to be over daughterly and overtly sweet, trying to hide the fact that she had a man in the house. Her mother gets suspicious and asks her what she had done.

"Can't a daughter just be concerned about her mother?" Buffy looks innocently at her mom not realizing that Angel had come out of the kitchen and was standing right behind her.

Her mother is a little taken aback that there was a man in the house that looks to be several years older than her daughter is. "Hi," she greets the stranger.

"Hi," Angel smiles as Buffy turns to give him a why did you come out here stare.

Buffy introduces Angel to her mother and tries to explain that Angel was a student at the community college that was tutoring her with history. Her mother looks at her knowingly and tells her it was a little late for tutoring. She then proceeds to tell Buffy that she has a date that she was going to go prepare for and that she should say goodnight to her friend. Joyce starts to go upstairs when Buffy stops her.

"You have a date, with whom?" Buffy asks in panic, her mom does not date. Mom dating is off limits she thought to herself.

"I really don't want to discuss this in front of your friend Buffy, so say goodnight," She heads upstairs and stops midway. It was nice to meet you, Angel," She says in a semi polite manner before she continues her way upstairs.

Buffy looks torn between continuing her, whatever this was with Angel or going up to give her mother the third degree about secret meetings with strange men in the middle of the night. For some reason she hears Cordelia in the back of her mind say {Hypocrite much}.

As she hides Angel safely away in her room, she marches into her mother's room to begin the interrogation. "Mom who is this guy you're going out with and where are you going," Buffy's mouth falls to the floor as she sees the sexy black low cut dress her mom was wearing. "You are not wearing that on a first date."

"Who said it was a first date?" Joyce smiles at her daughter with mischief in her eyes.

Buffy was floored, she cannot wrap her mind around the idea of her mother dating, it was just wrong. "How many dates have you been on?" Buffy almost squeals the question.

Joyce hesitates for a moment, she knows how protective Buffy can get over her and she wants to break this to her gently. "Buffy don't overreact," she suggest to her, but Buffy only crosses her arms and glares.

Okay this is ridiculous I am fidgeting under the glare of my daughter, this should be the other way around, Joyce thought to herself.

"I've been on four dates with this gentleman," Joyce takes a deep breath, as Buffy turns completely red in the face.

"Four dates! You have been on four dates with this man and you did not say one iota about him. What is his name? Where is he from? What does is he do? You are in so much trouble for not telling me," Buffy paces back in forth in her mother's room and Joyce just smiles at her overreaction.

"Buffy," she continues to pace not hearing her mom call her name. "Buffy," she stops and waits for her mom to speak. "He's an investor; I met him at one of my shows at the gallery, he lives here in Sunnydale and his name is Joseph Cine," For the second time tonight, Buffy's mouth hit the floor.

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The next morning Xander is quite upset that Buffy let Angel spend the night in her bedroom even if it was to protect him from The Three. What was she thinking letting a guy like that be in her personal space he should be the one in her personal space he thought to himself.

Buffy just rolls her eyes as Xander tries to explain what lengths guys will go to impress a girl. He goes into his own little story about how he once drank a whole gallon of Gatorade without taking a breath. He smiles at Willow with pride at his idea of manliness.

Willow smiles and says that it was impressive up until what she can only explains as an ick factor.

Giles comes out with one of his books and changes the subject to more pressing matters, The Three. He explains to Buffy that she must be hurting The Master for him to send The Three for her and suggest that he shall step up her training with weapons.

At that moment, Jessica steps into the library. "Hi, I knew I could find the three of you stowing in the library, you three really read a lot, Jessica smiles and shakes her head. "Or is there something else entirely going on in here," she raises an eyebrow as all except Buffy give her a look like they have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Like your father dating my mother," Buffy says as she glares at Jessica.

Giles nearly spits out his tea, and Xander , Willow and Jessica look shell shocked as they all scream in unison. "WHAT!"

To be continued, please I beg you someone review.


	8. The Truth About Angels

Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the imaginative Joss Whedon does.

The Truth About Angels

Previously on Buffy and the new Blood.

Jessica glances at all of them suspiciously, as she took in all of their guilt ridden looks. "Or is there something else entirely going on here?"

Buffy steps closer to a bewildered Jessica and glares at her. "Like your father dating my mother."

Giles nearly spits out his tea, and Xander, Willow and Jessica look shell shocked as they all scream. "WHAT?"

Buffy stands challengingly in Jessica confused face. "What right does your dad have dating my mother? My mother is off limits."

Jessica began to sputter not knowing whether to be angry with her father for not telling her this bit of news or defend him before Buffy. "I'm sure it was just a onetime thing Buffy, I'm sure my dad has no real interest in your mother," Jessica said in defiance but quickly shrank back at Buffy's indignant glare.

"And why wouldn't your father be interested in my mother she happens to be quite the catch. Besides they have gone out four times, so he seems quite interested in her," Buffy crossed her arms.

Giles laughs to himself as Jessica effectively but unknowingly played the reverse psychology card on Buffy. However, his smile quickly fades, as he has to catch Jessica as she faints in his arms, obviously not prepared for what Buffy tells her concerning her father's dating activities.

As he holds her, Principle Flutie walks in looking for the one in his arms. He looks at the scene before him and frowns at the bunch. "Mr. Giles I don't believe I approve of the way you fraternize with the students," He says as he gives Giles a pointed look.

Giles quickly tries to explain the situation. "Well, Miss Cine has had another one of her fainting spells and I was just trying to save her from any more brain damage than she already seems to have," he explains as he gently puts Jessica in a chair and takes his glasses off and cleans them furiously.

The Principal grunts as he walks up to Jessica and taps her on the shoulder. "I'm watching," Jessica says in an unconscious stupor.

Giles raises an eyebrow wondering just what Jessica is watching. Was this was a clue to him about the little riddle all of them had heard, or was this just a coincidence. Giles decides to pay a lot more attention to Miss Jessica Cine.

Principal Flutie taps Jessica on the shoulder again and she jumps up startling everyone. She looks around sheepishly and grimaces. "Oh boy, did I pass out again," She notices Flutie out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey PF, How's my favorite Principal," She smiles as he goes into a full-fledged blush.

"Miss Cine, I would like to see you in my office immediately," Jessica smile quickly fades as the Principal turns and marches out of the library expecting her to follow him.

She looks at her friends and frowns thinking she may be in trouble. "Did I do something wrong?"

~%~

Jessica hesitates as she enters the Principal's office. She was a nervous wreck trying to figure out what she had done wrong to warrant a call to the principal's office. However, all her fears ease somewhat as she spots the grin upon his face.

"Come in, Come in Jessica. I have some very important and exciting news for you," Flutie was nearly jumping up and down from excitement.

"What is it Mr. Flutie?" Jessica smiles at her over enthusiastic Principal.

"As you know Miss Cine, my endeavor to have a live pig as a mascot totally backfired, but I haven't given up hope on finding a mascot that will not only boost school spirit but also put a fire under our great football team," Flutie beams at her.

Jessica slowly starts to get nervous once again, wondering just what her principal has in mind. "School spirit is a good thing to build up Mr. Flutie, but what has that to do with me?"

"I'm glad you ask Miss Cine, I hear and see good things about you. I am aware of how you are able to rally the football team to do a task. And I hear rumors of how you are quite the dancer," For some reason his smile was a little bit scary at that point.

Flutie suddenly bent down under his desk and came up with the plush fake head of a razorback. He grins from ear to ear and Jessica looks as if she will be sick as she can now see where this is going.

"Jessica Trish Cine, you are our new mascot. You will be working closely with the Sunnydale high cheerleaders and one Miss Cordelia Chase," Flutie starts clapping for joy.

"Oh joy, that sounds exciting Mr. Flutie but…" Jessica stops mid sentence as she notices the dejected look upon Flutie's face and she relents, she can never say no to a pouty man. "Okay I'll do it, but don't tell anyone it's me."

"You have a deal, and I look forward to seeing you at work it will be entertaining," Flutie said.

Jessica smiles weakly as she heads for the door. "I shall endeavor to please," she starts to live and bumps into one of the weaseliest looking men ever.

"Watch where you're going girl, I swear kids these days just have no respect," Jessica stood there with her mouth agape as the little weasel pushed past her and into the Principal's office.

"Oh Miss Cine, before you go I would like you to meet our new assistant Principal Snyder. I feel it necessary that I get a little help in keeping things under control every since those delinquents attacked me, so the school board hired an assistant for me," said Flutie.

Jessica came over to shake Snyders hand and he looks at her offered hand in disgust. "Don't you have a class to be in Miss Cine?"

"Uhm, Yes I do. I guess I should get to it huh?" she smiles and then takes it back as Snyder rolls his eyes at her.

Jessica heads to her classes a little distraught that the school would hire such a smelly weasel, did he even like kids? Then she nearly laughs aloud as she has this strange notion that the new assistant Principal favors Quark from Deep Space Nine, Quark being much cuter and much nicer though. She snorts and settles in her seat and prepares for her teacher to start.

~%~

Jessica walks home with Willow and Xander, but her mind is on other things. Why didn't she know that her father was dating? She has yet to meet Buffy's mom, and Jessica determines to remedy that soon. When she came out of her thoughts, she heard Willow and Xander are arguing about Buffy letting Angel spend the night in her bedroom.

"Wait, Angel was in Buffy's room?" she smiles as several thoughts ran through her mind. "Way to go Buffy, I'd never be brave enough to sneak a boy into my room."

"When you gain the courage to do so, please let me be the first to know," Xander said mischievously as both girls roll their eyes at him.

"Well it was a matter of life and death, some bad men chased them home and Buffy did not want Angel to go knowing that they might still be out there," Willow said as she spun an explanation that will not have Jessica running for the hills, or so she thought.

"Wow I'm beginning to think that maybe Sunnydale is not a good place for me and my dad to settle in," Jessica said.

Xander gives her his most brilliant joker like smile. "Well Jessica, my dear girl, if you hadn't you would never have met the greatest friend of your life now would you?"

Jessica rolls her eyes at the two of them and then smiles knowing they are right. She has started to care deeply for the lot of them, Buffy and Giles included. Even though they are the strangest people ever and they keep many secrets. This group has her heart to the very core.

She put her arms around Willow and Xander and the beginnings of an evil grin formed on her lips. "You two are my best friend you know that right?"

"Yeah," Willow and Xander said with a hint of nervousness at the mischief in her voice.

"Well my best friends I want to plan a family dinner between the Summers and the Cine's later on this week, you game," Jessica asked as she clasps her hands together and rubs them back and forth.

Willow worries how that particular situation will play out considering Buffy's known temper. However, Xander's smile reaches platinum proportions as he considers the chaos that will ensue and that it just might get a certain slayers mind of a certain Angel.

"Where do we sign up?" Xander said as Willow's frown deepens.

~%~

The next night Jessica watches her dad work in his den, wondering how to approach him and if she should tell him, she knows about his extracurricular activities. She crosses her arms, stumps over to him, and stares him down.

Joseph Cine never glances up from his work, as he knew his daughter has been standing there for several minutes glaring at him. "Why are you feet having a temper tantrum Jessica?"

"Is there anything you would like to discuss with me dad," She asked him as if she were his mother.

Mr. Cine scratches his head and is bewildered at his daughter's attitude at the moment. "No, is there a reason why you're taking that tone with me young lady."

Jessica calms down considerably so she didn't get into trouble, but she would not back down. "Uhm, sorry, I just want to know if have something important to tell me?"

"Not at the moment Jess," He looks into his daughter's hurt eyes. "What is this about Jessica?"

Jessica starts to get very angry. "Nothing, just forget about it," she stumps out of the den.

Joseph Cine was at a loss as to why his daughter was mad at him, until something came rushing to his mind and he starts to rub his temples to relieve the tension. "No, she couldn't be talking about that, she doesn't even know, does she.

Jessica left the house and heads to Buffy's house; she was going to meet this woman even if her father did not want her to. Walking nervously up to the front door she knocks. As she waits for someone to answer, she notices a blonde staring at her with a catholic schoolgirl outfit on.

"That's new," Jessica said to herself as she shook of the eerie feeling the women gave her.

The woman starts to walk up to her and Jessica thought she saw her face distort into something horrible. She closes her eyes tight and opens them again and the girl was gone. Jessica looks around frantically for the girl and that's when Joyce Summers opens the door and greets her.

"Hello," Joyce finally says to her, as she did not seem to notice that she opened the door.

Jessica jumps ten feet in the air at Joyce's greeting, then she turns around sheepishly and looks at a women that she thought had a quiet beauty, she actually was perfect for her dad. She smiles and offers Joyce her hand to shake. "Hi, I'm one of Buffy's friends at school; I was just coming to pick up some books for Buffy and Willow's study session.

"Oh come in," Joyce steps aside to let Jessica into the house. "I believe I've met Willow and Xander, but I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting you. What is your name?"

"Oh, how rude of me," Jessica smiles. "I'm Jessica Cine, Buffy must have told you about me." Jessica notices the shock and realization on Joyce's face.

"Yes I do believe you've come up in conversation," Joyce smiles thinking that that particular conversation did not come from Buffy.

"Well Buffy room is upstairs, down the hall and to the right. Do you know what you're looking for?" Joyce asked.

"Yes Mrs. Summer I do. I'll just run up, get it, and be out of your hair in a moment.

Jessica ran upstairs, into what she thought was Joyce's room, and she notices a rose and a card on her dresser. She picks up the card but she did not read it, the only thing she noticed about it was that it was in her father's handwriting. She put it back on the dresser and then she heard Joyce let out a scream. She ran down stairs and did not see her and then she heard someone talking in the kitchen.

She ran to the kitchen door and saw the most horrifying thing of her life. Mrs. Summers was unconscious and bleeding at the neck. She lay in the arms of the girl Jessica had seen outside and Angel confronts her, she caught bits and pieces of their conversation and became quite terrified.

"Aren't you hungry for something worm after all this time?" Darla said to Angel as she pushes Joyce unconscious form unto him. Jessica watches, as Angel seems to struggle with himself and then his face changes. Jessica almost screams, but so did not want to give her position away. She racked her brain for a way to rescue Mrs. Summers. Then all decisions are taken out of her hands as Darla began to speak.

"I'll take care of the one with the sweet smell to her," She turns her full on vamp face to Jessica and Jessica has no qualms about screaming this time. "You are full of power little girl I think my Master will enjoy having you, but I want a little taste first."

Darla rushes her and Jessica like prey-cornered moves into action. She drops down low as Darla attacks her and uses her momentum and strength against her, flips Darla over her and into the wall hard. Darla quickly rights herself, grabs a hold of Jessica before she can escape and holds her by the neck, and takes a bite. Darla groans as she takes in the girl's blood. Her blood was like a fire burning her from the inside out. It was rich, tasting of something so pure and sweet and Darla can't stop, and she continues to feed upon her. She begins to have visions of things to come and things that are supposed to happen but never came to pass. When the visions end, Darla realizes this was the little bitch her Master sought, the power that has so thoroughly undermined all of his plans. Darla smiles as she knows how this will please the Master and that torture will be oh so sweet on this night.

Before Darla can fully gloat about her good fortune Buffy knocks her for a loop as she came in and found that Angel and a female vamp are attacking her mother and her friend. As Joyce and Jessica lay unconscious on the floor Buffy and Darla go at it as Angel watches conflicted as to what to do. Darla gets the upper hand on Buffy and goes in for the kill, but before she can finish the job, she gets a stake through her back that goes in deep and straight through her heart.

She turns to her killer with saddened eyes and speaks with a distraught voice she speaks her killers name. "Angel." Darla falls to the ground and turns to dust.

Willow and Xander came in to catch the last end of the fight having followed Buffy home to make sure she got home allright. They saw Joyce and Jessica unconscious on the floor and rushed to check on them as Buffy tearfully called 911.

Xanders anger arose quickly and he gets up, punches Angel, and yells. "What the hell did you do, you bastard?" Buffy pulls Xander away and explains that Angel saved their lives and they all seem to stare one another down for a moment unsure of what to do or say.

~%~

Jessica's dad rushes to the hospital wondering why the hell he moved to this God forsaken place. His daughter had been in this damn hospital twice now and for some very serious injuries. He walks into her room and stopped short as he notices everyone standing in the room.

The Doctors had already told him that they put Joyce and Jessica in the room so that was not a surprise for him. What he really wanted to find out was why his daughter had gone over to the Summer's home in the first and why the two women in his life now were lying in hospital beds.

"What happened?" He asked the group looking as if he will not tolerate any lies or the run around.

Joyce was the first one to speak, because the others in the room didn't know where to begin to explain. "Well the doctor said it looks like we fell on a barbeque fork.

"The both of you fell on a barbeque fork at the same time?" Joseph Cine's anger escalated and he literally had to breathe in and out to calm himself. He looked at the group to see if they believed this trumped up story and from the looks on their faces, he knew that they knew more about the situation than they were admitting.

However, before he can give them the third degree the doctor comes in to give a report on Jessica and Joyce's condition. He explains to Buffy that her mother was fine, just a little blood loss but she could go home soon, But Jessica on the other hand lost way to much blood and they had to give her a blood transfusion.

Mr. Cine plops down in a chair between Joyce and Jessica quite distraught. He made a promise at that moment that he will never let Jessica out of his sight again, no matter how much she complains about him smothering her. There was something wrong with this town and it seem to have it in for his daughter and he will be damned if he let it take her away from him.

Willow came over to comfort Mr. Cine and he politely smiles at her kindness. That's when Rupert Giles rushes in to the room.

"Who are you?" Joyce asks in confusion then Buffy introduces him to her.

"The librarian from your school," Joyce smiles feeling a little loopy and sedated. "What's he doing here?"

Giles came forward to explain his presence. "I just came to pay my respects, and to wish you a speedy recovery," he says as he smiles down at her.

"Why the teachers really do care in this town," said a happy Joyce Summers.

Mr. Cine snorts at that comment. "Or maybe just the librarian, Mr. Giles seems to be the one for hospital visits to his students. I wonder why that is?"

"Well I have become quite attached to them I suppose," Giles said.

"Yes, I shall have to speak with you on how, attached, you are to them. Mr. Cine said as he raises his eyebrow at Giles and the librarian starts to clean his glasses furiously.

"Dad please leave Mr. Giles alone. Don't you see your making him nervous?" Jessica says in a weak and frustrated voice.

"Jess, honey you're awake thank goodness." Her dad kisses her on the cheek in relief.

"Yeah and once again, I'm surrounded by my friends and loved ones, in the damn hospital," Jessica tries to yell but all that her voice accomplishes is a cracked splendor.

"Jessica Trish Cine you watch your language young lady," Her dad scolds her.

Jessica felt tired and a little indignant; she was in the mood to do a little scolding herself. Maybe it was the loss of blood that kind of shut down her brain and things that she would never under any circumstances say to her father came flowing out of her mouth.

"Maybe You Joseph Cine should be more honest to your daughter about dating her friend's mother, so she won't have to sneak out the house to go meet said mother and nearly get herself killed."

The room became deathly silent and all the occupants in the room. Heads shot from father to daughter and back again. Joyce went beet red, Buffy fidgeted, Willow mouth was catching flies, Xander had this nervous laughter going on and Giles was wearing his poor lenses thin.

Joseph Cine gave his daughter a look that scared her more than anything she has seen this night, and she had seen some scary shit. She swallows and smiles nervously at her father ready to take back everything she has just said, but it is too late for that. To put the icing on the cake her new boyfriend Jonathan she had yet to tell her dad about comes and kisses her on the cheek.

"Will talk about all this later Jessica," Mr. Cine crosses his arms menacingly and calmly gives a smile to his daughter and Jessica cringes.

~%~

In the depths of the Hellmouth, a lair lay in shambles. Furniture torn apart, several things thrown across the room, minions dusted and a throne overturned. It's as if another major earthquake has hit the place, and in the midst of it all, a lonely master vampire mourns the loss of his favorite and deadly childe Darla. He does something that vamps rarely do, he weeps for all that he has suffered at the hands of his enemies. He falls asleep and dreams of her, he dreams of the power that challenges him at every turn. The Master dreams and knows that things will change now and not in her favor. He shall have her blood.


	9. The Master Planner

Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS, Joss the master Whedon does.

The Master Planner.

Jessica got up early to prepare for school this morning. She washes her face, brushes her teeth and as she brushes her hair, she notices the bite mark on her neck for the first time since her attack. She lifts her hand and gently rubs her scar and the visions start. Images of a man, no a monster dressed in leather with a horribly deformed face and he is sitting on a thrown looking as if he hasn't a care in the world. He suddenly looks up at her and smiles and she shivers.

"I'm coming for you Jessica," The Master speaks to her from within her thoughts.

Jessica drops her hairbrush and steps away from the bathroom mirror in fright, believing that the hideous creature she saw might step out of it. Jessica takes some deep calming breaths and looks around the bathroom hoping nothing will jump out to get her. She laughs to herself thinking that this town was really doing a number on her mental capacity. She finishes her daily routine and heads down stairs to have breakfast with her father.

Jessica gazes at her father as she eats her pancakes; he has not said one word to her since she sat to have breakfast with him. He just continues to read the newspaper as she glares at him. She finishes her breakfast and starts to head off for school when her father finally speaks.

"Jessica I want you to come home right after school, we still need to have that little talk." Joseph looks over the top of the newspaper at his daughter.

Jessica sighs knowing that the situation was inevitable and that she has no chance of escaping her fate. "Okay dad, but I will be a little late. I have cheerleading practice and Principal Flutie wants to break me in as the new school mascot."

Jessica notices the smirk on her dad's face and rolls her eyes. She hopes that her dad of all people will not make fun of her mascot duties. "Okay Jess, but as soon as you finish come straight home young lady."

"Yes dad," Jessica said in a downtrodden voice.

~%~

Jessica went through the motions not paying attention in her classes. Her mind is elsewhere and she keeps hearing this maniacal evil laughter in her thoughts. Someone behind her tapes her on the shoulder and she turns and looks right into the face of the monster that's been haunting her.

"After I torture you, you will take her place at my side," the Master reaches up and gouges her eyes out.

Jessica jumps from her chair screaming and rubbing at her eyes. She opens the eyes that were still there and everyone is looking at her, some in petrified horror others in mocking humor, wondering what the hell is the matter with Jessica Trish Cine, spaze extraordinaire.

The teacher rushes over to Jessica to ask what is wrong and Jessica said that she just had an eye spasm and needs to go to the rest room for a moment. The teacher happily lets her go to calm herself.

Jessica dabs a wet paper napkin across her face and shivers trying to keep her fear at bay. What is going on in her mind? She thought to herself. She really needed to talk to someone about this before she completely lost it and the only ones she could think of at the moment is the ones that have constantly been at the center of all the madness. Her dad will be highly upset about not coming home when she was suppose to, but she needs to tell someone about the things she's been seeing and hope to the higher powers that they would not put her in a padded cell.

~%~

After Jessica first full fledged cheerleading practice as Mascot Hornsby, (Flutie so inappropriately names her) Jessica sought out the school librarian. She reaches the doors and peeps in to see Giles and Angel talking. She tries to wait until they were done talking to enter but then Angel suddenly turns his head towards her as if he sensed her there.

Jessica hurries and moves her head from the window and gulps. "Now that's just plain creepy."

The library doors open and Giles look at her. "May I help you Miss Cine?"

"Uhm, well, I." Jessica glances down at her feet and almost burst into tears. "I need to talk to someone about," she looks around to make sure no one is listening. "Things I've been seeing and hearing since that thing bit me."

Giles looks fretful and intrigued at the same time and steps aside to let Jessica in. "Come in Miss Cine, we have been talking about just that, as a matter of fact."

Jessica came into the library a little wary of Angel, as he could not take his eyes off her. She thought that he looked a little hungry but that could just be her overactive imagination. Then she takes her eyes off Angel, notices that the trio is present, and accounted for right here in their favorite place to be, she should have known.

Jessica sat in the library staring intently at the five of them, she did not know where to start and she had a sneaky suspicion that they might have the same problem she was having at the moment. She sighs and starts to say something only to close her mouth and bring her gaze to the one that she really wanted to ask the majority of her questions. She notices that he continually averted his eyes and refuses to look at her now. That only made her all the more curious about him.

"So you're a vampire right?" Jessica decided to go right to the heart of the matter.

Angel's angst ridden face looks up at her and it almost breaks her heart, she had to swallow her heart and look away from him before she could continue. "Is there anything else that you guys need to tell me? I mean I knew you kept secrets, but this was not what I was expecting at all."

"What were you expecting exactly?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, I don't know maybe normal 90210 stuff like I stole my best friend's boyfriend, or I experimented with drugs, maybe even I once got expelled from my old school for trying to burn it down. I wasn't expecting vampires and things that go bump in the night," Jessica said as she threw her hands in the air.

Buffy laughed as she thought about what Jess said. "Well I was expelled from my old school for that exact reason, but I only did it because it was infested with vampires and that was the only way I could think off to get rid of them all.

Jessica laughs aloud thinking that Buffy was joking and then she sobers quickly when she realizes she was not. "Oh this is... this is, too much. Vampires really exist," she said this as she rubs the scar on her neck and stares intently at a brooding vampire who tries to avoid her gaze.

Giles interrupted her interrogation knowing that this was just half of what she wants to discuss. "Jessica I don't mean to hurry you along but you came here for a reason. Would you mind telling us why?"

Jessica got nervous. How could she tell them what's been happening to her without sounding bonkers? She just dives right into what's been going on.

"Every since I was bitten, I've been having visions of a horrible creature sitting on a throne. He's been telling me that he is coming after me and that after he finishes torturing me that I will replace her and sit at his right hand. I believe he calls himself the Master," Jessica gulps and closes her eyes preparing herself for the inevitable laughter, when no one laughs she opens her eyes and everyone in the room is so tense you could bounce pennies of them. Angel actually seems afraid for her and that made her more than uneasy.

"Okay, please someone tell me that I'm just being crazy or that I am just in shock from the attack and that there is not some master vampire out for my blood," Jessica said in panic.

Their silence gave her the answer that she did not want and Jessica politely got up and ran from the library,

"Jessica wait," Willow calls out but Jessica did not listen and she ran all the way home and right into a situation that she was neither in the mood or prepared for.

~%~

Jessica came into the house out of breathe and crying. She starts to go up to her room but her father intercepts her and he is quite angry with her.

"Your late Jessica, I thought I told you to come home as soon as possible," her father said.

"I'm sorry dad I lost track of time with the cheerleading practice. What is it you wanted to talk about?" Jessica asks as she hides her tears.

"Not yet Jess, go change and come to the dining room, I have dinner waiting," Joseph walked back into the kitchen as Jessica heads upstairs.

A few minutes pass and Jessica comes into the dining room to find that her father is not alone and she stands their aghast at the presence of Buffy's mom Joyce Summers and her boyfriend Jonathan Levinson.

"Come and sit Jessica we have a lot to discuss," Her father smiles as she slowly sits and curses under her breath about how her dad stole her idea from under her nose.

There was a knock at the door and Jessica starts to run to get it but her father tells her to sit and he goes to answer the door. When he returns he has a wide-eyed guest in tow.

Jessica turns to the guest and mouths three heartfelt words. "I'm sorry Buffy."

"Oh Buffy, good you made it. Have a seat there is something I and Joseph wish to discuss with you girls. But first let's have dinner," Both her and Joseph dove into the meal as Buffy, Jessica and Jonathan all stare at them in unbelief and loss of appetite because of the looming doom the three thought is sure to come.


	10. The Talent Show

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the vampire slayer or any of the Songs mentioned in this chap. Joss owns the Bufster and Michael Jackson and C&C Music Factory own the songs.

Sorry for the late update again this became a monster and it took awhile. Hope you like and here's to all the reviews that bring me the oxygen I need.

The Talent Show

Jessica's father began to explain that his and Joyce's relationship was getting very serious and that they will be seeing a lot more of each other all the while smiling at Buffy's indignant glare. She was suppressing a gag reflex as the two began to hold hands in their presence.

"So the two of you are boyfriend and girlfriend," Buffy asks incredulously.

"Well that's a juvenile way of putting it but yes Buffy we are," Joyce answers as she gives her daughter a look that said behave yourself.

Buffy bit into her meal and smiles at the both of them, which made Jessica involuntarily shiver. "Well I'm real happy that my mom has found someone to make her, err, happy," then her smiles disappears and she focuses her attention solely on Joseph Cine. "If you hurt my mother in any way, I will have to seriously injure you despite my friendship with your daughter."

"Buffy!" Joyce squeals in disbelief of her daughter's behavior. Joseph Cine laughs aloud not realizing the genuine threat the petite blonde could be.

"I don't doubt that you will Buffy, but I assure you that my feelings are sincere concerning your mother. I can only hope that with time you will see that and I can gain your trust and respect with my actions," Joseph Cine's words takes the wind out of Buffy's ire as she can see that he was being genuine.

"Well now that we've got that off our chest let's finish eating," Buffy said as she smiles at Jessica.

They all started to eat and talk and laugh, all except Jessica. She was still a bit wary about why her boyfriend Jonathan was present at this meeting and from the look on his cute little face, so was he. Jessica looks at her father several times during the meal questioning him with her eyes but all she got in response was a smile and a wink. The whole situation was making her extremely nervous.

They all finished up there dinner and Joseph bid a goodnight to the Summer's women and they head home. Jonathan starts to leave but Joseph stops him and asks him to stay a little while longer. He then proceeds to lead Jessica and Jonathan to the living room and asks them to take a seat.

Then to Jessica's complete horror, he begins to have the sex talk with them. Jessica starts to hyperventilate and Jonathan turns completely green and red at the same time and starts to sputter out his words.

"Mr. Cine, I assure you that is the last thing on our minds right now. We've just starting dating and are only trying to get to know each other first," Jonathan says in a very high-pitched tone.

However Joseph Cine was not having any of it, knowing what teenage boys thought about twenty-four seven and he sat forward to ask them one small request.

"I'm sure that my daughter's virtue is foremost on your mind Mr. Levinson," he proceeded to give Jonathan a look that said it had better be. "However I was a teenager once and I know how things can get in the heat of the moment. I want you two to promise me something if you wish me to give my permission for this relationship to continue."

Jonathan gulps and Jessica was having serious thoughts on finding a rock, no a big gigantic bolder to crawl under and die.

"What is your request sir?" Jonathan asks.

Joseph Cine then looks at his daughter who was doing a real good impression of a gaping fish and puts his request on the table.

"I want to ask you two to have a certain level of responsibility in your actions. I ask that if this relationship gets beyond the puppy love stage that you would consider waiting for a long while before the two of you become physical with each other," Joseph looks adamantly at the two youth.

"Yes sir, most definitely will wait," Jonathan responds rather quickly.

Joseph smiles and claps his hands together as he gets up to bid Jonathan a good night. "Well now that we've got the more important things out of the way let's call it a night."

Jonathan rises and starts to give Jess a kiss on the cheek but changes his mind at the frown her father gives him. Joseph walks Jonathan to the door, as Jessica seems unable to move, speak, or even think. Joseph returns from bidding Jonathan a good night and sits across from his daughter and smiles.

"That's a nice respectful boy you have there Jessica," he says to his daughter.

He waits for her to respond but Jessica is to shell shocked to say anything to her father at the moment. Therefore, she politely gets up and walks towards the stairs; she turns around slowly to finally say something. She opens her mouth and then closes it; she shakes her head and then proceeds to go far away from her father.

"Goodnight Jessica," Joseph says with a smile in his words and Jessica just continues to shake her head and escape his over protectiveness. She didn't even realize that this whole situation had completely taken her mind off a certain master vampire.

~%~

The next day Jessica gets up extra early for school to avoid her father and his antics. He had totally embarrassed her in front of her friends at dinner. She was sure Buffy would blame her for this new development in their lives and poor Jonathan she could not blame him if he wants to avoid her for several days or months or years.

She went to school an hour early and went to the library, to her surprise Rupert Giles was already there and he was having a complete fit about something or other.

"Bloody dictator, how dare you volunteer me for something as vile as this," Giles paces back and forth talking to himself.

"Giles are you okay, I can come back later if you need to be alone," Jessica laughs.

Giles then turns to her quickly and grabs her arm ignoring her yelp as he drags her to a seat. "You are now my personal assistant for this god awful project, I will not take no for an answer."

"Okay," Jessica raised an eyebrow. "What exactly am I assisting in?"

"The school talent show" Giles says as he blocks her escape route.

"Oh cool I always like watching those," Jessica said oblivious to the fact that she will regret saying those words later.

Several hours later.

Jessica sat beside Giles trying her best not to burst into laughter as Cordelia Chase thoroughly destroys Whitney Houston's I Believe the children are our future. She had a sudden urge to run and bye several earplugs for the remainder of the auditions.

She leans over and whispers to the man next to her who sat in torment. "It will get better Rup, I hope." She squeals as Cordelia screeches out a verse.

"I bloody well hope that it does, and do not call me Rup young lady." He said as he rubbed his temples trying to relieve the headache that was steadily getting worse.

"Thank you Cordelia, that's going to be lovely." Giles lies.

Cordelia looks put out by his interruption. "But I didn't do the part with the sparklers," Giles elbows Jessica in the ribs as she tries horribly to stifle her laughter.

"We'll Uhm," Giles tries to come up with an excuse to get her off the stage. "Save that for the dress rehearsal. Lisa Please," he calls the next girl up and to his horror, she is just as bad with the instrument she starts to play. Giles runs his hands through his hair and glances at Jessica.

"This is utter torture; I never knew that there were so many horridly untalented youth in Sunnydale,"Giles said to a highly amused Jessica.

"Ahhh, it isn't that bad Mr. Giles," She said to him as she patted him on the back. Before he could respond to Jessica's obvious insincerity the trio came to taunt them both.

"If it isn't the great producer and his trusty sidekick," Buffy smiles as she, Xander and Willow sat with Giles and Jessica.

"You had to see this to believe it." Xander said as he ruffles Jessica's hair.

"Hey watch the hair bub," Jessica glares at him and tries to fix her now unkempt hair.

Giles prepared himself for the scathing remarks he knew were coming. "Oh you three," he said without any enthusiasm.

"The school talent show, however did you finagle such a primo assignment?" Buffy looks down at a very irritated Giles.

"Our New Fuhrer, Mr. Snyder." Giles rolls his eyes at the mention of the little troll.

"I think they call them assistant principals now." Willow smirks and glances at Jessica."

"Uh, well he thought it would behoove me to have more contact with the students. I did try to explain that my vocational choice of librarian was a deliberate attempt to minimize said contact, but he would have none of it," Giles said.

Buffy's face took on a look of all watchers throughout history as she spoke her next words. "Giles, into every generation is born one who must run the annual talentless show. You cannot escape your destiny."

Giles got rather upset at her mocking and snaps. "If you had a shred of decency, you would have participated or at least um… helped."

"Nah! I think I'll take on your traditional role and watch," Buffy said.

"And Mock," Xander said as he shook his head vigorously.

"And laugh," Willow chimes in for effect and Jessica smirks at the utter ribbing the trio was giving Giles.

"Besides you have a hidden talent sitting right beside you, I've seen her at work and she's quite amazing," Buffy winks at Jessica and Jessica's smile completely disappears as Giles starts to smile and plead to her with his eyes.

"Forget it Giles I'm not doing it, nope nada, no, nay, het, nein! And if there is any confusion, those words all mean, no I'm not doing it!" Jessica frowns at the pouting man as the trio laughs.

"Okay, I think maybe we better leave our Mr. Giles and his apprentice to this business he calls show." Buffy said as the three of them got up and walked right into a weasel. Jessica crosses her arms and smiled in triumph, she knew what was coming and she was going to love every minute of their squirming.

Buffy's smile drops off of her face and she gasps. "Assistant principal Snyder." Willow and Xander both look horrified at the none smiling fuhrer.

"So, we think school events are stupid, and we think authority figures are to be made fun of?" Snyder asks as he looks at the three with contempt.

"No, no, we don't. Well unless you do." Buffy said in a blonde moment.

Snyder continued his questions ignoring Buffy's response. "And we think our afternoon classes are optional. Giles looks around, not really feeling sorry for the trio. "All three of you left campus yesterday."

The trio look ready to crawl under a rock at Snyder's interrogation. "Well yeah, but we were fighting a demon—, "Willow's eyes went wide as she hit Buffy in the back for mentioning demons in present company.

"Fighting?" Snyder questions them, ready to give the lot of them detention.

"Not Fighting," Buffy said quickly, eyes wide.

Xander jumps in to try to explain their defiance of the rules. However, he doesn't make the situation much better. "No, we left to avoid fighting."

Snyder had enough of their antics. "Real anti-social types, you need to integrate into this school people. I think I just found four eager new participants for the talent show.

Xander began his nervous laughter and Willow squeaks a terrified no. "What? Buffy asked in horror. All the while Jessica was laughing her head off not realizing the body count Snyder expects.

Snyder smirks and looks at Jessica who immediately stops her joviality. "What are you laughing at young lady I said four willing participants, which includes you." I've been watching you four, always getting into one scrape or another."

Buffy turned to look at her friends as she tries to plead with Snyder. "Well, we're really, really sorry. But about the talent show-- please, you can't make us." Buffy was near hysteria as she addresses Snyder.

Mr. Flutie may go for all that touchy feely crap and he may think the world of you four," he directed his gaze at Jessica as he lectures. "But that almost got him eaten. "You're in my world now, and Sunnydale has touched and felt for the last time.

Xander made one last plea for mercy. "Can I just mention that detention is a time honored form of punishment?"

"Here here," Jessica yells in agreement to Xander most excellent idea.

"I know the four of you will come up with a wonderful act for the school to watch…and mock… and laugh… at," he then leaves them to stew in their own horror.

Xander gets animated with denial. "NO!" he says as he plops down into one of the auditorium seats. "No," he says again this time in a smaller more defeated voice.

Buffy saunters up beside Giles not able to form any coherent form of English and looks into the face of a very pleased Englishman trying to hold back his laughter and Jessica jabs him in the ribs scowling at him.

"Not funny," she says as Lisa finishes playing her rendition of a dying frog.

Giles looks up at the student almost losing his composure. "Thank you," he says as Lisa walks off the stage.

Then all five of them watch in dismay as Morgan began his dreadful dummy act. Giles rolls his eyes as Morgan could obviously be seen speaking for the dummy and his jokes were very bad to say the least. Then all of a sudden, the act began to take a turn for the better to even Morgan's surprise. It was almost as if the dummy had taken over the act and made it much easier to watch.

"There you see, I'm sure you four can come up with something equally exciting," Giles said reminding them of their impending doom. Neither one of them notice when the dummy Sid looks there way all on his own.

~%~

Jessica sat listening as Buffy, Willow and Xander try to come up with something to do for the talent show. She laughs aloud at the suggestion of Buffy slaying vampires on stage and then she made a suggestion to them that they all agreed to. Snyder would not know what hit him. Buffy hit Jessica in the head and smiles.

"You were sitting on an arsenal like that and you just sat there making us sweat huh, that's just cruel and unusual punishment Jess," Buffy said.

Jessica put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out. "Well it's the least I can do and besides it is just hilarious to see the looks of horror on your faces," Jessica looks at the time and yelps.

"I have to go guys we have a previous engagement I have to attend to, I'll see you guys later to practice our parts." She purposely omits the fact that she was the new school mascot and that she was now on her way to cheerleading practice.

Jessica gets up to leave and notices Sid the dummy following her with his eyes and her skin begins to crawl. "Stop that Morgan it's just plain creepy,"

As Jessica leaves, Buffy threatened to burn Sid the horny dummy if Morgan did not come up with some new material that was less filthy and both Morgan and the Dummy went tight-lipped.

Jessica notices that Principle Flutie, Giles and Snyder are talking and a plan of revenge formulates in her mind. Buffy raises an eyebrow and Willow becomes nervous as Jessica turns to them with an evil grin on her face and starts to rub her hands together as if she trying to start a fire with them.

Xander Swallows hard. "What's she going to do?" the two girls shrug and watch as Jessica skips with delight toward the three authority figures.

Jessica skids to a halt in front of the three that now had their attention on her. "Hello Miss Cine I hear you have a part in the talent show," Flutie beams at her.

"Yes I do oh favorite principal of mine, thanks to the keen recruiting skills of your assistant here," she looks pointedly at Snyder who smirks at her not knowing the full intent of the conversation.

"That's actually what I wanted to discuss, an idea I have for our new and beloved assistant principal," Snyder's smirk disappears immediately.

"What did you have in mind Jessica," Giles asks a bit nervously.

"Well, as you know our Mr. Giles has done an excellent job with staging this show and he will be quite busy back stage making sure everything is up to par. And we still need a mc to introduce all of the acts and I can think of no one better to do that than Mr. Snyder,"

"Now look here…," Snyder's outrage was cut short by an ecstatic Principal.

"That's an excellent idea Miss Cine, I'm sure Snyder will have no objection to helping out where needed," they all look towards Snyder, as his ears turn crimson.

"Of course not," Snyder says through clenched teeth. He glares at Jessica as she politely says her goodbyes and heads out of the auditorium, but not before she gives her laughing friends a wink.

~%~

Jessica rushes into the gym with her mascot attire on only to stop short at the malevolent glare of Cordelia chase and her sheep.

"You're late, that is not acceptable. We run a tight ship around here and we will not be brought to lower standards by a lowly swine," Cordelia poked the Razorback in the shoulder.

Jessica disguised her voice so she wouldn't give away her identity. "Oh yes mighty Cordelia, queen of the swine," All the cheerleaders laugh and then quickly stifle it at Cordelia death gaze.

Cordelia's full attention is on the pig-clad girl as she gives her an evil smirk and Jessica inwardly cringes knowing that she had started a war of words and domination here. The question is could she hold her own against the incomparable Cordelia Chase.

"Well since it seems you're an attention hog, let's see what you can do now that you have our full attention," She goes over to the radio and presses play and Gonna make you sweat by C&C Music Factory starts to blare from the speakers. She looks expectantly for the razorback to start.

Jessica just smiles underneath her mascot outfit and starts to go into a rendition that would make the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders envious. She sways back and forth across the whole of the gymnasium as the words enter her very being and she forgets her audience and gets into her act. Ending her performance with a front handspring, step out, round off, back handspring, step out, round off, back handspring, full twisting lay out landing right in front of a smirking Cordelia. The squad broke out into a cheer.

Cordelia thought it very impressive, not that she would let this little upstart know that. Whomever this razorback is, Cordelia secretly thought that they might actually get to go to nationals this year with her help. This may be the start of a beautiful friendship or at the least Cordelia could make her into another one of her sheep. If only she knew who was under the mascot suit.

~%~

After the whole fiasco with Sid and the organ-stealing demon came to an end it was time to get the school talent show underway. The auditorium was jam packed with parents and to Jessica and Buffy's dismay, John Cine convinced Joyce to come out and see the show. A certain weasel had made it his business to inform them of the upcoming event and of their participation in it.

As act after act perform the more nervous the trio became, it will soon be their turn. Jessica laughs as she saw Xander hyperventilating, Willow looking as pale as a vampire and she swears Buffy is about to hurl any minute.

She steps up to them and gives them a pep talk that semi calms them down and Jessica hands them their costumes. They all smile as they realize no one will see their faces with the Phantom of the Opera type masks that she hands them.

"You will do fine guys, just remember your parts and enjoy yourselves. I'll make sure that all eyes are on me okay," They all nod at her gratefully.

~%~

As Snyder reluctantly introduces the last act, the lights in the auditorium begin to dim and it is so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Michael Jackson's Dangerous starts to play in the background and the spotlight turns unto Jessica as she has her head down. Her outfit a flawless copy of MJ, High water black pants with white socks and black shoes, White shirt with black tie, black jacket and black fedora atop her head. The finishing touch, the lone white glove that adorned her right hand.

Jessica flowed across the stage in brilliant Jackson style as she belted out the verses to the song. Her background singers adorned in similar style but with the addition of their white mask did their best to harmonize the one word that they had to sing. "Dangerous," The trio sang in a disjointed union, but that was never caught as all eyes were on Jessica as she moonwalked on the smoke filled stage.

As the performance ends, Jessica takes a bow. The curtains close and the auditorium goes into an uproar of applause, the football team, Jonathan levinson, John Cine and principal Flutie being the loudest of the bunch.

"Bloody hell," is all Giles can think of to say as he cleans his glasses.


	11. Realities Nightmare

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer; it belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. I profit from and own nothing.

There are Spoilers for the episode Nightmares. Hope you enjoy the read.

Realities Nightmare

The Master sits smiling in his layer contemplating all that had gone down the last few months. If someone had told him weeks ago that he would be thanking his new enemy for her meddling presence in his life, he would have torn them limb from limb and boiled them alive. However, know he thanked her for all that she had done. If she had not come and changed things as she had done or took away his allies and his precious Darla, he would not have the gift of sight that he has. When he took her and turned her, he would find ways to show his gratitude for giving him the power over his enemies.

The Masters smile swells at the thought of the utter cluelessness of the white hats. Didn't they realize when you change things you mess with the balance of things and balance fights hard to get every back to order? One girl would pay for the disruption of balance she set off with her very life. that is if the Master had any say in the matter.

His new gift gave him new insights to what was coming. The Master could feel the nightmare world and reality melding together. This would be his chance to kill two birds with one stone so to speak. The Master looks up from his prison and breaths in deeply, he can smell his freedom coming with his friend death close behind. A change was coming to Sunnydale he smiles to himself, a change for the worse.

"I'm coming for you Jessica Trish Cine and your little slayer too," He proclaims in a joy-filled voice.

~%~

A young man looks from the window as his classmates slowly shuffle in before class starts. His mind was on things other than school.

"Hello, dufus, you're in my light," Cordelia rolls her eyes at the boy and then continues to refresh her makeup. The boy looks at her with disdain.

"Wendell what is wrong with you? Don't you know that she is the center of the universe, and the rest of us merely revolve around her?" Xander mocks Cordelia's outburst.

Cordelia smiles at what she considers nothing but the truth. "Why don't you revolve yourselves out of my light," Xander and Wendell walk away in unbelief to Cordelia's big head.

Willow, Buffy and Jessica walk into the class just as the bell rings and Xander and Wendell approaches them. "Wendell was in Cordelia's light."

Wendell rolls his eyes and smirks at the four of them. "I'm so ashamed."

"That's allright Wendell you did her a service, cause if Cordelia gets too much sunlight she might burst into flames, with her being a creature that sucks the joy out of everyone she meets," Jessica said a little too loudly and the class burst into laughter. Cordelia glares at her.

"Why is she so Avita like?" Willow asks in bewilderment to Cordelia's attitude towards those she considers beneath her.

Buffy studies Cordelia as she ponders the answer to that question. "I think it's the hair."

Willow and Jessica smile at Buffy's brilliant deducting skills. "Weighs heavy on the cerebral cortex."

"Nah, I think it's the fumes from all the bottles of hairspray she uses. That can really mess with brain cells, kind of like sniffing glue," Jessica smirks as Buffy looks at her as though she's a complete idiot.

Cordelia had enough; she gets up and gets into Jessica's face. "Listen you poor excuse for a girl, at least I have actual hair unlike that brillo pad that sits atop your head."

Willow and Buffy freeze in place as they fill a showdown about to happen. Jessica just smiles at Cordelia, if she thought a comment like that would bring her to her knees she had another thing coming. She was from the chi for goodness sake and this rich little California girl had nothing on her when it came to putting someone in their place. However, before she could say anything else, the teacher made them all sit so she could start her class. Jessica gave Cordelia a look that said that this was not over by a long shot at she takes a sit.

Xander briefly tried to get a quick review of the class homework before the teacher starts and Wendell, Willow, Buffy and Jessica give him the cliff notes version and then he turns and sucks up to the teacher pretending that he had read the homework.

As the teacher continues her lecture Buffy drops her pencil, she bends down to pick it up and in the corner of her eye, she notices a little boy standing in the doorway. The teacher asks Wendell to read from the book they were studying, as Buffy senses something off about the little boy. Wendell opens the book and several tarantulas jump from the pages, and the class goes into a screaming frenzy as the spiders begin to crawl all over Wendell as he screeches for them to get off him. Jessica Trish Cine bolts from the classroom and completely out of the school.

The little boy stands there as if his dreaming all this. "Sorry about that," the little boy replies listlessly.

~%~

The next day Jessica walks with Buffy, Willow and Xander as they all head to the library to get some answers to the incredibly appearing tarantula incident. I mean spiders just don't hop from the pages of a book to terrorize the students, that had to be hellmouthy stuff.

Jessica was having a hard time coping with what she saw and she was frantically rubbing herself down as vision of spiders dance in her mind. Buffy had other things on her mind though, namely spending quality time with her mostly absentee father and she hopes that he would not stand her up.

Willow looks to Buffy hoping she had some answers to all the craziness. "How about the spiders, did you talk to Giles about," Xanders interrupts.

"Uhhh, the spiders, Willow and Jessica have been kind of uhm. What's the word I'm looking for? Insane about what happened yesterday," Xander said in exasperation.

On cue to emphasize Xander's statement Jessica shivers from head to toe, frantically brushing the imaginary spider off her shoulder and she screams aloud, causing Willow to jump and Xander to look at her funny. Buffy just laughs at the three of them.

Willow hits Jessica for scaring the crap out of her and continues her conversation. "I don't like spiders okay, their furry bodies and their sticky webs," Jessica becomes ashen and her shivers increase as Willow describes one of her worst fears. Not noticing her dismay Willow plows on. "What do they need all those legs for anyway? I'll tell you, for crawling across your face in the middle of the night, EEEHHH."

Jessica grabs Willow by her shoulders and forcefully turns her around to face her. "Willow I beg you, for the love of all things holy please STOP!" she squeals as her mind vividly visualizes everything that Willow so brilliantly describes in detail no less.

Willow gave her an apologetic look, forgetting that Jessica's fear ran ten times deeper than her own did. She then turns to look at an amused Xander and is bewildered by his lack of fear.

"How do they not ruffle you," she asks as Jessica covers her ears and runs into the library leaving them to their conversation.

"I'm sorry I'm unruffled by spiders. Now a bunch of Nazi's running across my face," he trails off to let that scary thought sink into their brains.

Buffy comes to Willow's defense having a healthy fear of spiders herself but not as bad as Willow's and nowhere near as neurotic as Jessica's. "It was pretty intense."

"Thank you," Willow says to Buffy as she gives Xander an I told you so glare.

"Well the hellmouth, the center of mystical convergence, supernatural monsters, been there." Xander said in a bored tone.

"A little blasé aren't you?" Buffy asks completely dumbfounded as Xander slaps Murphy's Law in the face.

"If there's something bad out there, we'll find it, you'll slay, we'll party," Xander said with no worries.

"Thanks for all your confidence in me," Buffy laughs.

The trio walks into the library wondering if they might have to find a therapist for Jessica's issues. However, when they enter she was nowhere to be seen.

"Giles, Jessica?" Buffy calls out to them.

"Maybe his in the faculty room," Willow says as she looks around the library.

"Yeah but where's Jessica?" Xander asks wondering if the girl had run out of the school again.

At that moment, Giles and Jessica come running from the stacks looking harried and mislaid. The trio raises their eyebrows simultaneously wondering what the hell the two were up to in the library stacks.

Buffy steps forward to tease them a little, "Hey Giles, wakey wakey, you know teacher's usually get in trouble for that sort of thing."

Giles chose to ignore her innuendo and began to explain the situation. "I was in the stacks, lost," He looks to Jessica not knowing how to explain their predicament further.

"Yeah when I came in I heard him yelling and went to find him, I was ready to poke fun when I realize that we were both lost in the freaking stacks. It was like one of those stupid dreams where you seemingly know where you are but still can't find your way home. This town is starting to drive me insane." Jessica starts down the stairs and sits in a chair trying to shake the hibby jibbies that ran down her spine.

"Did you find any theories on spiders coming out of books, big harry crawly," Xander jokingly starts to run his fingers over Willow's shoulder and she turns around and hits him and he jumps. Then he yelps as a book flies past his head and he glances over to see a seething Jessica glaring at him.

"It's funny if you're me," he looks taken aback by their anger.

"I didn't find anything particularly illuminating. I think perhaps you best have a chat with Wendell himself," Giles still seem quite flummoxed over his previous predicament.

"Okay, if he can still talk," Buffy walks out of the library with her friends all the while worrying about her watcher.

The four of them go to talk to Wendell about his spider incident and he was explaining how he didn't hate spiders when Cordelia came past with the most horrid outfit on. Jessica couldn't resist the urge that was forming deep within her gut.

"Hey, Cordelia nice outfit, did you borrow that from your moms pet poodle," Jessica eyes her less than stellar outfit and shakes her head; she really was an eye sore.

Cordelia chooses to ignore Jessica completely and asks them if they were ready for the history test today. Buffy blanches at the thought of a test she didn't know about. Jessica is confused at the whole thing, since when has Cordelia Chase care about them being ready for anything especially a history test. She shakes her head as Buffy runs off to take the test. Can this day get more bizarre?

Wendell continues his story of how he had a collection of spiders that his brother accidently killed while he was away at camp and every since then he had nightmares of how they would come after him in school. He told them he almost thought it was his nightmare until everyone else started screaming too. Xander, Willow and Jessica look quite perplexed at the thought of nightmares becoming reality.

Buffy was in the middle of a class nightmare herself when she notices that the little boy from earlier was back he walks off leaving her to her failed history test. He notices one of the young girls go into the boiler room to have a smoke and shakes his head.

"You shouldn't go in there," his says. Meanwhile the girl is getting beat up by an ugly mangled looking creature with a club arm while calling her lucky 19.

~%~

Jessica, Xander and Willow walked to class together talking about a possible connection between Wendell's nightmare come to life and the beating of their schoolmate; they look on as the school was getting quite weird as the cool guy of the school mother came in kissing, hugging and babying him in front of the entire student body. The three of them walk into class and everyone starts to laugh hysterically.

Willow and Jessica start to back out slowly thinking that they were the reason for all the laughter until they both turn and notice the nakedness that was Xander Harris. Willow looks completely horrified for him while Jessica quickly covers a smile that reveals how much she did not hate the sight of Xander in the buff.

"Xander what happened to your clothes?" Willow cried out.

"I don't know was uhhhh, dressed a minute ago," He spat out, as he frantically looks around at all the laughing girls. "It's a dream, it's got to be a dream," he looks on the verge of tears as he pinches himself. "Ouch, wake up," he pinches again. "Ouch, got to wake up."

Xander panics as he looks around the room almost hyperventilating and then he lets out an agonizing scream and bolts from the classroom.

Jessica smirks at Willow. "Damn, I didn't know Xander was that hot," Willow glares at her as they both go after him.

~%~

Giles and Buffy discussed the possibilities of the supernatural happening. In addition, had made the connection to the Boy in the coma and the boy Buffy had been seeing in school after the Wendell incident. Before they could get into further discovers Buffy's father Hank came in looking for her.

"There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you. Why aren't you in class?" Hank asks.

Buffy tentatively walks up to him wondering why he would be coming for her this early. "Dad what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be picking me up till after school," Then she panics. "Is something wrong?"

He explains that he needs to talk to her about something and the look on his face does nothing to assuage her fears. "Something is wrong, is it mom?"

Hank tells her that that was not the case at hand and request that he speak with her once again. She agrees although unsettled by the whole thing. She then introduces Giles to her father. They greet one another and then Buffy whisks her dad off so they could have that little talk.

Buffy and Hank walk the school grounds as he begins to get a few things off his chest about his and Joyce's relationship and the true reason that it broke apart. Buffy oblivious to what he was trying to say asks if it was someone else and was confused when he said that it wasn't. She became nervous as she asks him what it was that broke them apart.

Hank looks down at his first born with little compassion as he said his next words. "It was you."

Buffy is shaken by his bluntness and tries to swallow the lump forming in her throat, "Me?"

Hank rambles on about how having, seeing and raising her every day was nothing less than an unbelievable chore. Buffy cannot believe what she was hearing and the ache in her heart rapidly increases tenfold as her father tries to rip it from her chest and stump upon it.

She began to cry as he endlessly rattles off a list of things that he did not like about her. Buffy's gaze falters as she could not stand to look at the man she had put on a pedestal as he told her in no uncertain terms that she was not a bright girl and that she should have seen this coming a long time ago.

He ended his conversation with her telling her that the little weekend visits with each other should end because he got nothing out of them. Hank Summer's pats his daughter's leg and get's up to walk out of her life.

"I sure thought you'd turn out differently," He disappears behind the school as Buffy sat distraught over what her father had just said to her. Her recurring nightmare of her father truly abandoning her had come to life.

Buffy's mind was numb as she tried to make sense of what just happened and that's when she notices little Billy coma boy looking at her sadly and she slowly reels in her heartache to go after him.

~%~

"Red alert, where's Buffy?" Xander, Willow and Jessica come barreling into the library to speak with Giles.

"She just stepped out, her father came by, h-h he needed to talk to her," Giles stutters, as he seems to be searching for words to say. He then looks at Xander wondering why he was clad in the school's gym uniform. "Where are your other clothes," he asks as he prepares himself a cup of tea.

"Oh don't I wish I knew the answer to that question," Xander said in an annoyed voice.

"Xander kind of found himself in front of our class not wearing much of anything," Willow informs Giles.

Xander smiles and turns to Giles frustration evident on his face. "Except my underwear."

Willow got giddy not being able to hold back her joy of the moment any longer. "Yeah it was really," she trailed off at seeing the watch what you say glare on Xander's face but Jessica decides to finish for her.

"Hot and steamy," Willow elbows Jess in the ribs as Xander covers his face with his hands.

"Bad, it was a bad thing," Willow tried to offset Xander's embarrassment while Giles and Jessica seem quite amused.

"Bad thing, I was naked. Bad thing doesn't cover it." Xander corrects her.

Then Willow sobers as she realizes the gravity of the situation. "With everyone staring, I would hate to have everyone staring and paying attention to me like that."

"With nudity, it was a total nightmare," Xander said.

"Well I'm sure you have nothing to worry about Xander, with a body like that you're sure to get a few offers at best," Jessica smirks and then flinches as Xander reaches over Willow and pinches her, Hard. "Ouch, Xander that hurt."

"Then keep quiet pervert," Xander gave her a pointed glare.

"Oh, that's rich Alexander Lavelle Harris calling me a pervert," she flinches again as Xander pinches her harder.

"How did you know my middle name," He gives Willow a murderous glower, but she shakes her head vehemently to let him know that she did not betray their trust.

"Wait, Xander, it- it's your nightmare," Willow came back to the subject at hand.

"Except for the part for me waking up going it's all a dream, it happened," Xander said furiously as he continues to glare at Jessica.

Then Willow made the connection. "Like it happened to Wendell, that thing with the spiders Wendell had a recurring dream about that."

"I dreamt that I got lost in the stacks and I couldn't…. of course!" Giles stamped his floor vehemently.

"Our dreams are coming true," Xander said.

"Dreams! That would be a musical comedy version of this, nightmares our nightmares are coming true,"

Jessica raises an eyebrow as she thought of some of her nightmares and nearly laughed aloud. The one she had about Darth Vader chasing her down the streets of Chicago would be particularly funny to see not to mention her recurring one about Gary Coleman being Dracula, that one was a riot. However, she also had a feeling that it would be the darker nightmares that would come to life and that thought gave her pause.

"Anyone up for going home and crawling under the bed for the rest of the day," Jessica raises her hand and waits for more volunteers. She sighs when they completely ignore her. "Staying and dealing it is then."

"So why is this happening?" Willow asks.

"Billy," Giles said as if they should have known the answer, but Willow and Xander just look at him as if he'd lost his mind and Jessica stifles a burst of laughter making her sound as if she had hiccupped and sneezed at the same time.

"Well that explanation was shorter than usual; it's Billy, who's Billy?" Xander asks.

Giles went on to tell them what Buffy had found out in the papers and of the little boy she'd seen around the school and the connection with him and the nightmare world.

"Well we have to stop it," Xander said as he glances down at his attire.

Giles looks to the trio and went into his creepy watcher speech once again. "Soon, or else everyone in Sunnydale is going to be facing their own worst nightmares,"

"Okay have I told you that I hate it with a passion when you talk like that? It's really creepy and you sound worse than Rod Serling in the beginning of every Twilight Zone episode," Giles frowns at her and goes about trying to figure out how to get them out of this nightmarish mess before it was too late.

To be continued.

I have a lot planned for this particular episode and decided to put it into two parts hope you like the first, The second will be up fairly soon. Thanks for all that read and review you are the nourishment for my plot bunnies. )


	12. Nightmare 2 0

Disclaimer: I don't own or profit from BTVS or anything represented in this chapter.

Nightmare 2.0

Cordelia gasps as she opens her locker and saw something that left her in dismay. She frantically reaches out for her comb to try and remedy the situation.

"I don't understand, this can't be happening I was just at the salon," Cordelia winced in pain as the comb broke off in her hair. "Ohhhh, this is really bad Karma, Jessica I will never make fun of your hair again," She started crying as she tries to pull at the brillo pad that was her hair.

~&~

When Buffy went after little Billy coma boy, she found out who had beaten her classmate up, the hard way. She turned as Billy screamed that the ugly man was here and was knocked out of her seat violently. She tried to fight back but the ugly man was excessively strong and he continues to beat her with his bat shaped arm. Buffy dodged another blow and decided it was time to count her loses and follow Billy's lead and run.

As Buffy escapes with Billy, Willow, Xander and Jessica were having their own nightmarish adventures.

Giles and Xander decide that it would be wisest to split and look for Buffy so the two of them split leaving a scared Jessica and Willow behind.

"Faster, but not really safer," Willow stammers as she looks at Jessica expecting her to leave also.

"Don't look at me I'm not going anywhere by myself, you know who the first person to get slaughtered in horror movies, the black girl," Willow rolls her eyes and starts out to search for Buffy with Jessica close on her heals.

Willow and Jessica head down the stairs of the high school and notice a Mormon dressed Cordelia Chase with a mop on her head and several nerds are dragging her along.

"No I don't want to go, I'm not even on the chess team, I swear I'm not," Cordelia cries out hysterically, and then she looks up to notice Jessica and Willow staring and she broke free of their grip. She ran over to a bemused Jessica and practically fell on her knees before her.

"Please Jessica, I'm sorry I made fun of your hair, turn me back please. I saw that movie last year; I know this is some type of spell you did to get back at me for what I said. Please…," She never got a chance to continue her pleas as several of the chess team came, pick her up, and drag her kicking, screaming and clawing into the chess tournament.

Jessica fell to the floor laughing her ass off as Willow merely watched with quiet amusement. Then someone in the basement called their name and Willow opens the door and looks down into the dark abyss. Willow starts to go down the stairs when Jessica grabs her and quickly slams the door.

"What's wrong with you Willow? You never go down in a dark basement when someone calls your name and you're in the middle of a nightmare world," Jessica finally took a breath when she finishes her frantic statement.

"What if that's Buffy down there? She may need our help," Willow says as she is slowly losing patience for her jumpy friend.

Jessica thought about that and saw the logic, she sighs and removes herself from the door as Willow opens it and the voice calls out to them once again.

"Buffy?" Willow calls out questioningly as a horror struck Jessica peeps over her shoulder and into the darkness.

Both began to walk down the flight of stairs, Jessica tightly holding onto Willow's shoulders as they went.

"Hello, Buffy?" Willow shook off Jessica's hold as it became increasingly painful.

They reach the bottom of the stairs and look around seeing no one. "I'm not afraid," Willow said trying to gain a little courage. "You'd think I'd be afraid but I'm not."

"Really, that's nice, CAUSE I AM!" Jessica yelled.

Willow wills around and put a hand over Jessica's big mouth. "Shhhh, do you really want to call attention to us if this isn't Buffy?"

"Bimf mhes besmt bummy?" Jessica said under Willow's hand, Willow laughed slightly as Jessica tries to hold a conversation with a hand clamped over her mouth. Willow's amusement subsides and she removes her hand from her loudmouth friend.

"You said that it was Buffy down here," Jessica whispers in indignation.

"No, I said that it might be Buffy down here," she turns to continue her search of the basement as Jessica rolls her eyes and follows suit.

"Oh, Okay that makes this whole situation better," she says sarcastically.

They continue walking the length of the basement in search of whoever called their name, when suddenly someone reaches out and grabs them. They both scream as someone hauls them off into the darkness.

"Man I thought you weren't going to show," Said the man yanking a petrified kimono wearing Willow into a dressing room, she frantically looks around for Jessica but there is no sign of her.

"Aldo is beside himself," he explains to her as an announcer begins to introduce two of the world's greatest singers.

"I hope you're warmed up, it's an ugly crowd out there," he says as he leads her to the stage. "All the reviewers showed up."

'All the way from Firenze, Italy, Aldo Gianfranco and all the way from Sunnydale, California, the world's finest soprano Willow Rosenberg!' The announcer said her name as Willow looks wide eyed through the curtain at thousands of onlookers.

She starts to back up as the crowd cheers. "But… I didn't learn the words," the man rolls his eyes and pushes her out onto the stage.

Aldo starts to sing brilliantly in Italian as Willow stares in disbelief of her situation. He finishes his verse and the spot like beams down on Willow as everyone waits expectantly to hear her brilliant soprano voice. She looks around nervously for Jessica as the quiet in the auditorium is deafening. Aldo realizes she has frozen up and continues on to his next verse, he finishes hoping his partner is ready for her solo.

Willow looks at him then the audience, then back to him again. "My Turn?"

"Mm-hmm," Aldo mumbles with an air of disgust and anger.

Willow opens her mouth wide and lets out an ear-splitting squeak hurting everyone's ears. The crowd starts to laugh and then someone boo's.

"Boo, get off the stage, we want Jessica 2.0," Willow looks down right in front of the stage where three people she could have sworn looked like Darth Vadar, Arnold Jackson in a Dracula cape and assistant Principal Snyder are standing.

The stage and auditorium seem to morph into something quite different. The stage morphed into a platform with green and red lighting with a catwalk and a stripper pole. The audience turns from a quietly sitting bunch to a ruckus bunch of men with dollars in their hand. They surround the stage chanting Jessica's name.

Music started to fill the air once more but this time it was not the soothing muse of Operatic delight but foot tapping sounds of Maniac. As the beat filled the room, Jessica suddenly slid down the pole in all her bikini-clad glory startling Willow in the process.

Just a small town girl

On a Saturday night

Looking for the fight of her life

In the real time world

No one sees her at all

They all say she's crazy

She did a few rounds on the silver pole as the men threw dollars at her. A chair suddenly appeared on stage and Jessica began to dance around it with a heated fever.

Locking rhythms to the beat of her heart

Changing movement into light

She has dance into the danger zone

When the dancer becomes the dance

If Willow had not seen the sickened look on her face she would have thought she was enjoying herself. The men around her watch in lustful glee as Jessica body movements entice them into a frenzy and toss money like it grew on trees.

It can cut you like a knife

If the gift becomes a fire

On the wire between will

And what will be

She's a maniac

Maniac on the floor

And she's dancing

Like she's never danced before

She's a maniac

Maniac on the floor

And she's dancing

Like she's never danced before

She straddles the chair and grind like there is no tomorrow and she spreads her legs as if doing the splits and shimmies back almost doing a back bend in the process. She rights herself and points at each man as she continues to dance on the chair.

On the ice blue line of insanity

Is a place most never see It's a hard won place of mystery

Touch it but can't hold it

You work all your life For that moment in time

It could come or pass you by

It's a push, shove world

But there's always a chance

If the hunger stays the night

She briefly leaves her chair and dances the length of the platform swaying her hips as the men scream her name and reach out for her.

There's a cold kinetic heat

Struggling, stretching for the peak

Never stopping with her head against the wind

Jessica returns to her chair and lies down pulling the string that appeared above her. Water came as a flood from the sky and poured over her bronze bikini clad skin.

She's a maniac,

maniac I sure know

Like she's never danced before

She's a maniac, maniac

I sure know

And she's dancing

Like she's never danced before

She stretches her leg nearly over her head while arching her back ending her act, the men roared and threw more money at her, and Willow gulps as the water had suddenly made Jessica show more skin than she intended, as it was now see through.

Snyder breaks through the crowd, rushes the stage, grabs Jessica by her waist and kisses her passionately. Jessica throws up in his mouth before the bouncers drag him off the stage. Willow rushes forward, grabs her by the hand, and runs off the stage.

Jessica and Willow run out of the door as several men including Darth Vadar Chase them. They turn and run right into a fleeing Xander, Jessica trying to hide herself and her costume behind Willow.

"Did you find Buffy," Xander asked as he caught a glimpse of Jessica.

"I had to sing, very bad, to sing," Willow said in horror.

Xander raises an eyebrow and looks directly at the bikini wearing Jessica. "And what did you have to do little girl,"

"I don't want to talk about it, EVER!" Jessica starts to dry heave as memories off the forbidden kiss start to flood her mind. Xander smiles despite the current situation but he sobers quickly as his thoughts turn to the nightmare that was chasing him right at this moment.

"Come on let's find the others and on the way maybe find you some cloths," he takes hold of Willow and Jessica's arm and starts to pull them down the hall.

Willow knew something was wrong, with the look on Xander's face, something was terribly wrong. "What happened to you?"

"Remember my sixth birthday party?" Xander stops for a moment and Willow starts to laugh hysterically. Jessica took this moment to look through the opened lockers to see if she could find some cloths all she found was a leather jacket.

"Yeah, when the clown chased you and you got so scared that you went…," Willow stops laughing as she realizes the implications of what she was describing. "Oh," she said as she frowns at Xander.

Jessica went rigid; she slowly turns to them as she put on the leather jacket and squeaks in a still small voice. "Clown?" It was also not lost on Jessica that since this whole mess began; she somehow made everyone's nightmares that much worse as they seem to morph into her own.

Maniacal laughter fills the air and sounds of a butcher knife as said clown came walking towards them. Willow, Xander and Jessica all scream and turn to run and bump right into Giles.

"No sign of Buffy," Giles says as he looks at them wondering why they were running and why the bloody hell Jessica was in a bikini and leather jacket, then his eyes catch sight of the clown and he screams.

Aah! Willow screams louder as the trio push past him almost knocking him down, but he rights himself and turns to run with them.

Jessica starts to worry, the thoughts going on in her head she tries desperately to wipe clean. She knew if Xander's nightmare morphs into her own they would all be doomed. "Oh please don't let that happen," she whispers to herself as she and her friend's flea.

All of the sudden Xander turns, tired of his silly fears. Giles, Willow and Jessica stop also wondering what was going through his mind to make him stop running from the killer clown. Xander advances on the clown and as it raises its knife Xander cleans its clock.

"You were a lousy clown. Your balloon animals were pathetic, everyone can make a giraffe," Xander yells at the out cold clown.

He turns back to his friends and they start to exit the school and stop short as many colorful balloons start to block their path and line of sight. Several of the balloons burst and blood splatters all over the walls.

Willow gasp at the blood on the wall and Xander went pale. "I hope that's not what I think it is whose nightmare is this because this just became a wee bit creepy."

"What are you on about Xander it's just balloons," Giles said not able to see the blood on the wall.

"I think you need to take your glasses off and clean them again G-man," Xander said as he eyed him.

Jessica visibly starts to shake from the fear that she was feeling, she slowly turns around and her blood ran cold as she laid eyes on one of the most terrifying clowns in history.

"Hello J-e-s-s-i-e," It said her name in the most terrifying raspy voices. "Do you want it," It asked as it offers her a balloon and tries to get her took look deep into her eyes. She refuses to go there.

Xander follows her line of sight and almost dies of horror. This clown was way creepier than his clown was; nonetheless, it was just a clown. "Oh joy yet another creepy clown to knock down,"

Xander tries to advance on Pennywise but Jessica stops him. "That's no ordinary clown Xander, That's pure unadulterated evil," it gave Xander pauses to see the complete and utter fear in Jessica's eyes and he backs off not having to be told twice.

"Come on Xander, Willow, they all float down here," It said as its teeth grew and the clown focused his attention on Jessica whose fear seems to give him strength.

"How does it know our names?" a fearful Willow asks.

"How does what know your name?" Giles looks around trying to see what they saw but failing.

Jessica turns to her friends. "I think you three should go find Buffy and try to figure out how to end this. I'll try to keep Pennywise occupied and away from everyone," before anyone could argue with her she picks up a rock and let her faith fly as she threw it like a major league baseball player. It hit Pennywise in the center of its forehead and it roars as it broke the skin and went straight through, and an eerie bright light explodes from its head.

She ran out of the building knowing that pennywise would follow her. He was her nightmare. She ran as fast as she could away from the high school she looked over and saw that there was a cemetery across the street bathed in darkness. She ran towards it wondering when they built a cemetery across from the High School and why was it nighttime there when everything else is in total daylight. She ran right through the hedges that block her way and glances behind her to see if It is following her.

There was no sign of it but she could feel that it was not far behind she continues her trek through the cemetery when she froze in her tracks. She watches in total horror as that creature she had dreams about tossed a screaming Buffy into an open grave and starts to bury her.

"Buffy!" Jessica yells to her friend and starts to run to help her but several legs kick her into a gravestone knocking the wind out of her.

She slowly turns and saw the giant spider coming toward her with the glowing underbelly. She screams and clamps her eyes shut as it hovers over her. She knew if she gazed into the immense light of It's underbelly that she would be lost forever so she dare not open her eyes.

She heard someone walking towards them laughing as he went. "You brought a pet for me, how thoughtful of you," She heard the master say still not daring to open her eyes and look upon two of her worst nightmares.

Several seconds pass as she lay their shaking wondering what in the hell they were doing. If they were going to kill her, she wished that they would get it over with and not let her lay there soaking in her own fears.

After a few more second she heard It walking away she slowly opened one eye and watched the eight-legged creature disappear into the night. A deep dread slowly and painfully forms in the pit of her stomach, feeling that she hadn't seen the last of this awful creature and whatever it did next would be her fault for bringing it to life.

Jessica's head turns slowly to look right into the face of a grinning Master vampire. "We have much to talk about Jessica, but we need a little privacy," He grabs her by the hair and began to drag her out of the cemetery and deeper into the darkness of some remote woods. Jessica's screams pierces the heavens and then slowly dissipates as he pulls her deeper into the darkness and then you could hear her no more.

~%~

Giles, Willow and Xander walked into the darkness of the cemetery looking for Jessica and Buffy. They begin to look around for any sign of the two of them as Giles private fear takes hold of his heart.

"Whose nightmare is this?" Xander asks.

"It's mine," Giles says as he reads the head stone before him. Buffy Summers, 1981-1997, Rest In Peace. His heart breaks.

Xander and Willow look on with despondent expressions as they walk up to the site. Giles falls to his knees in defeat.

"I failed, in my duty to protect you. I should've been more cautious…, taken more time to train you. But you were so gifted. And the evil was so great. I'm sorry," Giles reaches up to pat the fresh dirt and they all scream when a hand reaches up from the grave and pulls itself out.

"Buffy?" A frightened Giles asks as Buffy dust herself off holding her head down.

Buffy finally holds her face up and they all gasp as she is in full vamp face. "Thought I was dead."

"Buffy your face," Willow horror filled voice exclaims and Buffy reaches up to feel her new look.

"Oh God," She starts to shake and breath heavily as Xander starts to walk towards her.

"Buffy," Xander says with deep sympathy.

"Don't look at me," Buffy turns away from them in shame.

"You never told me you dreamt of becoming a vampire," Giles says as he walks up to her.

"This isn't a dream," she shakes her head vehemently yet she still held it down not wanting to look at her watcher.

No, no it's not, but there's a chance we can make it go away," Giles began to explain that he believes that if they could get Billy to wake up that this all could be reversed. He asks if she could hold out long enough for them to accomplish their mission.

"Yeah, I-I think I can. But we better hurry… cause I'm getting hungry. She says as she stares at Willow and Xander.

"That is a, joke, right?" Xander nervously asks her as they all follow her to the hospital.

Buffy and the gang reach Billy and she fights with the ugly man again and defeats him and then Billy figures out what he has to do, unmask the ugly man, and wakes up.

Everything goes back to normal and they find out that it was Billy kiddie league couch that had beaten little Billy into a coma and they arrest him.

Buffy turns to her friends and finally realizes that one was missing. "Oh God, you guys where's Jessica, I think I remember her yelling my name as the Master was burying me," She pauses and starts to cringe. "If the Master got a hold of her who knows what he could have done? We have to find her."

Meanwhile deep in the woods a lone girl lay there unconscious. She wakes up kicking and screaming and crying over the horrors of what almost happened to her. She looks down at herself and finds that she is in her original cloths and she starts to walk home shaken from her ordeal.

Buffy and the gang make it to the Cine residents and knock fervently on the door. No one answers; they knock again still no answer. They figure that Mr. Cine is still at work. However, where is Jessica? The fear that they may have lost their friend overtakes them and then a familiar voice greets them

"Hey guys, I see that Buffy was successful in stopping the nightmare world," she looks deep into Buffy's eyes and starts to cry. "Thank you," and then she collapses, Buffy caught her before she could hit the ground and looks at her friends.

"What did he do to her?" she asks them barely over a whisper.

It belong to Stephen King and the song Maniac is by Michael Sembello


	13. The Calm Before The Inevitable

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy The Vampire Slayer This brilliant show belongs to the incomparable Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. X-Men belongs to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Movie writers Tom DeSanto and Bryan Singer.

Some spoilers from Season one's episode Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight. X-Men Characters mostly based from the movie.

The Calm Before the Inevitable

The Master could smell victory in the air and became giddy with pleasure. The terror within her was palpable her turmoil audible. He was angry that he did not get to finish his glorious work of torture on his prize possession. However, the golden morsel of information from his intimate time with her had him reveling in his superiority. This meddlesome little girl put a taint on this reality and it would cost her dearly. She would have to pay for the disturbance she brought about in this time line one by one. His interest lied in making her pay for the death of his darling childe, after that he would make sure she didn't care one iota about the downfall that was about to take place in her life. He smiles as he sat upon his dark throne and began to hum the eerie little song within his dead unbeaten heart, it was only a matter of time and Jessica and that slayer will be in grasp and he will squeeze until every ounce of fight and spirit left their lifeless bodies.

~%~

When Joseph Cine came home, it was to a quiet house. His eyebrow rose to that, Jessica was usually there to greet him with a hug and a kiss when she did not have an after school cheerleading practice or something or other. If his memory was correct, he specifically remembered her telling him that she didn't have anything in particular to do and that she would be home when he got there.

His imagination getting the better of him as he quickly took to the stairs two at a time to check her bedroom. His daughter had become a magnet for trouble in this town and he hopes that her absence was not due to that fact. He stops at her bedroom door, takes in a breath, and holds it hoping that his daughter was behind it. The tap on the door was light and none intrusive, hoping to hear her voice and relieve his fears. When she didn't answer his heart began to prance around in his chest as a few bad thoughts form in his mind. Maybe there's a cheerleading practice after all or maybe she's visiting with friends and forgot to call.

He slowly opens the door and releases the breath he didn't know he was holding. Calming himself as he saw his daughter sleeping peacefully and the presence of her two best friends at her side. He smiles thinking that if it wasn't for those two girls he would take his daughter and hightail it out of this town. His thoughts would have gone somewhere else completely if he caught sight of the boy sleeping on the floor on the other side of the bed. He went back downstairs and into the kitchen to prepare something for dinner and stops in his tracks at the presence of the school librarian in the process of doing just that.

"What the hell are you doing in my home?" he starts as he looks menacingly at the British librarian.

Rupert Giles looks up as Joseph startles him out of his cooking. "Uhm, well, that is," Giles starts to take his glasses off to clean them. His annoyance getting the better of him at his lose of words to explain to this very intimidating man of why he was in his home invading his kitchen trying to prepare a meal.

"If you take those glasses off one more time in my presence to clean them I swear I'll hit you. Now I'll ask again, why are you in my home preparing my food in my kitchen? Joseph starts slow and calm but with each word, his inflections became louder and angrier.

Giles let out a breath, this man hadn't taken a liking to him from the first day they'd met. Not that he could blame him, the first time they'd met his daughter had severe injuries at the hands of a vampire and Mr. Cine had many questions as to what was going on, one of his questions being why the school librarian felt it necessary to show up at the hospital?

"There was a little incident with a chemical leak at the school, all the students were affected and sent home, but Jessica was the closest to it and got the full brunt of it. The school nurse checked her out and she gave her a clean bill of health. However they didn't want to send her home by herself so I volunteered to be the designated adult," Giles didn't quite lie, the students had been sent home after the adults with their Sunnydale syndrome had chalked all of the nightmares turned to reality as hallucinations from what had to be a chemical leak.

"Why didn't they contact me about something that serious?" Joseph Cine was seething from all the inappropriate activity in this town.

"Well you don't seem to have a number on file to contact you," Giles almost took a step back from the killing glare greeting him.

"That's absolute bullshit, I put at least three contact numbers down for the school to contact me. This town and its utter nonsense is really racking on my nerves. What is wrong with you people, you seem to be blind to all the crap that goes down here. I refuse to become like that, the school will be hearing from me, he states firmly.

"Calm down dad, boy you can be a real terror when you want to be can't you?" Jessica gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, a fact that Giles didn't miss.

"Well when it comes to the safety of my daughter that I will do anything to ensure, my terror knows no bounds," he said those last words glaring daggers into the shrinking librarian.

"Dad please relax, if I remember correctly about those transcripts we hadn't put a number yet because we had yet to receive the new ones and in the chaos of the move and in the commotion of everything it slipped both our minds to give the numbers when we did receive them." Jessica eyebrow went up several notches at her father notable cringe. He owed Mr. Giles an apology and he knew it.

He slowly turns with little desire to so and began to apologize. "Sorry, Mr. Giles I can get kind of insane when it comes to my daughter."

Giles smiles knowingly, he knew of the desire to protect ones daughter even if she was only that in spirit. "Yes, of course."

Jessica began to walk over to see what Giles was preparing before her father's interruption. She smiles up at him and he spots a few tears in her eyes.

Giles frowns, had he done something wrong to make her teary eyed like that. He began to scan the area for stray onions just in case that was the cause, and then his glance settled on her for a clue to what the problem was. Jessica just eyed her father as the tears began to flow.

Joseph took a step forward to investigate what had his daughter so emotional. He took note of the preparations on the island and smiles.

Joseph cleared his throat and laid his hand on Giles' shoulder. "Well, Mr. Giles it looks like you've stumbled upon me and my daughter's favorite dish. My wife used to make this for us all the time; I hope your cooking skills are as dead on as hers were. He said with a smirk.

Giles got a twinkle in his eye, he ran upon few American's that actually enjoyed authentic British cuisine and his satisfaction at the thought of the Cine family being one of the few that did gave him pleasure.

"Really, that's quite refreshing to know that some people really enjoy good cuisine," Giles said with a smirk.

"Well my wife was from Liverpool, she introduced me to the dish and I fell in love with it and her instantly. It's one of the many reason's I married her," he said with a wink.

Giles laughs aloud. "Well Bubble and Squeak will do that every time."

As the tension in the room began to defuse somewhat the three of them sat to talk. Giles was surprised to find out Mr. Cine's wife was from Liverpool, England and that they had met while attending Cambridge University.

As the two men talk Giles was happy to find out that the man had a love for rare and obscure literature. He thought to himself that Joseph would be an excellent watcher, if he knew of such things.

"Oh no, it's invasion of the British snatcher. Run away Mr. Cine before you start wearing tweed," Buffy said as she and Willow came in on the stuffy conversation about musty old books.

Giles gave Buffy his best British glare as the two girls sat down next to a smirking Jessica.

"I'm afraid it's much too late for that Buffy, I succumbed to that invasion the day I met my wife," he said with a sad smile on his face and Buffy was immediately sorry that she had said anything.

There was a strained silence for a few seconds before the ringing of the doorbell saves them.

"I'll get it," Jessica quickly got up to escape the looks of concern she knew her friends were giving her. As she walks out of the kitchen, she strolls right into yet another concerned look. She held up her hand to quiet the question that she knew was on Xander's lips as she answers the door.

Her face fell even more at the presence of the newcomer. For the first time since they met, she was not happy to see him. She was not in the mood for her boyfriend and that thought bothered her more than anything did.

"Hi Jonathan," she said while stepping aside, being sure not to utter an invitation even though the sun was still shining brightly. One could never be too careful. She didn't want to admit to herself that her action had a secret meaning also.

Jonathan sensing something was wrong frowns deeply and slowly came in believing that what went down at the school had something to do with her mood. He set out to make her feel better in his own way.

Jonathan closes in the gap between them, ignoring the visual warning from Xander that what he was about to do was ill advised and ill timed. He reaches up and tries to kiss his girlfriend.

Jessica flails back wildly knocking over her dad's prized vase and breaking it. Breathing hard from the panic attack she was having she fell to her knees to try to pick up the pieces. Never glancing back up to see the hurt look she knew was on his face as she cleans up her mess and began to apologize.

"I'm sorry Jon Jon, you just startled me a little," before he could respond her father came into the living room to tell her that the food was ready. He stops short at the scene before him and sighs.

"Don't worry about that Jess, I'll clean that up. I want you to go eat something, you've had a trying day and I want you to get your strength up," Joseph came forward and began to take over the task as he gently prods her towards the kitchen. All the while giving Xander a distrusting glance, wondering if he really arrived here with Jonathan or had he been here all along upstairs alone with the girls.

Jessica slowly walks back towards the kitchen with the two boys in tow. Her eyes glassy and it seemed to take all of her strength not to burst into tears as she sat to eat.

Buffy, Willow, Giles and Xander want to reach out to the girl to try to get her to talk about what happened, but now was not the time especially with present company. A few minutes later Mr. Cine enters the room and felt as if he was walking into a funeral with all the somber faces, all of which are directly on his daughter. His daughter trying her best not to look at anyone as her gaze was focusing on her folded hands lying in her lap.

He decides not to say anything about it, he would find the underlying cause of this if it were the last thing he did. His daughter was going to tell him what was going on or he would pack their bags and get the hell out of this town. For now, he would sit down to a quiet dinner with his daughter and her friends and try to bring them out of whatever stupor they were in.

~&~

The weekend seems to drag on for Jessica and Buffy and Willow decide to spend it with her. Usually that would have made her jump for joy but this weekend had literally put a drain on her physically and emotionally. Between her friends and her father trying to get her to talk it was killing her inside. She eventually came up with a story that sooths her father curiosity if not his worry. She told him that she and Jonathan had an argument and that their relationship was not faring well. It wasn't a lie; because of the way she reacted to him trying to kiss her, it had put a damper on their relationship.

He was trying to call and talk to her but between her dad and her friends, talking was the last thing she was planning to do. Jonathan didn't deserve the treatment she was giving him, but she didn't know what else to do. Her father suggests a little too eagerly that maybe they should put their relationship on hold for a little while but she wasn't ready to do that either.

Buffy and Willow were another story, she couldn't lie to them she knew they will see through it if she tries. Therefore, she just kept avoiding the big elephant in the room or changing the subject when they would blatantly bring it up. She knew she couldn't keep doing that for long and that she would eventually have to tell them what happened and God if that thought didn't just make her cringe and want to throw up.

~&~

Monday morning was a true test of Jessica's patience as the reality of what almost happened to her began to eat ate her very soul. She began to snap at every little thing that irks her, still she held herself together royally. That is until she had a class with one Cordelia Chase and the brutal debate began.

"Okay, so talk to me people. How does what Shylock says here about being a Jew relate to our discussion about the anger of the outcast in society?" The teacher asks the class after she read.

Some of the class and to everyone's surprise Cordelia Chase raises their hand. She calls Cordelia's name.

"Well, how about color me totally self-involved"? Cordy says in an almost annoyed tone and Jessica began to see red, knowing where this was going and how Cordelia's mind works.

The teacher smirks also knowing Cordelia all too well. "Care to elaborate?"

"Yeah, with Shylock, its whine, whine, whine, like the whole world is about him. He acts like its justice, him getting a pound of Antonio's flesh. It's not justice. Its yicky," Cordelia says as she rolls her eyes with disgust.

Jessica had had just about enough and lit into Cordelia's point of view. "This coming from the Queen of the self involved, you wouldn't know justice if it came and slapped you in the face Cordelia," Xander smirks and Willow's eyes go wide as they see a new side to their friend.

Cordelia turns to give her biting rebuttal but the teacher quickly interrupts trying to reign in the chaos she knows is about to erupt between the two.

"But has Shylock suffered? What's his place in Venice society? The teacher asks.

"Well, everyone looked down on him," Willow contributed to the conversation.

Cordelia turns to Willow and shoots down her statement. "That is such a Twinkie defense. Shylock should get over himself."

"Speak for yourself Chase, I should have known that one such as yourself who has never been looked down upon, little rich girl, would never understand or care about the plight of someone other than yourself." Jessica says almost yelling.

Cordelia turns toward Jessica and gave her a hard look. "People who think their problems are so huge craze me," she says as she turns back to the teacher. "Like this time I sort of ran over this girl on her bike. It was the most traumatizing event of my life, and she was trying to make it about her leg, like my pain meant nothing."

Jessica looks at Cordelia dumbfounded, opening and closing her mouth several times before she burst into laughter. "I rest my case, only you Cordelia would turn hurting someone else into a travesty against your own existence, you are a true nutcase and I surely hope that you don't have any Shylocks on your tail." Someone giggles beside her and Jessica looks over to see a ghost of a girl.

"Well, Cordelia and Jessica have raised some interesting points here," The bell rings interrupting her mid sentence and the students begin to shuffle out. "Which we'll pursue at a later time."

Jessica goes to the bathroom to calm herself a bit. She'd let her anger get the best of her and she didn't like being out of control like that, even if it was only verbally.

Sighing she splashes water on her face and looks into the mirror and almost screams at the sight behind her. "Damn it Marcie don't do that to me, you scared the crap out of me."

"You can see me?" Marcie asks

"Of course I can see you, why wouldn't I be able to see you?" Jessica raises her eyebrows at the goofy girl.

"I thought no one ever notices me, like I was invisible or something," Marcie's sadness seems to overwhelm her at that moment.

"Marcie why would you think I didn't notice you, you're in several of my classes. Even though you tend to look a little pale and ghostly at times, like you're not eating well or getting enough sun and being in a place called Sunnydale I say that's quite a feat," Jessica smirks at the girl.

At that moment, Cordelia and Harmony came into the bathroom talking about winning May Queen and homecoming dresses. Jessica's mouth drops to the floor as Marcie disappears before her very eyes.

Cordelia looks around the bathroom and then at Jessica smirking. "You would be the one in bathrooms talking to yourself. What, has your strangeness alienated you from even the dweeb team also?" Cordelia sneers with mirth in her eyes.

"You know what Cordelia I have nothing but pity for you. Because one day even your sheep that follow you like you're the end all that be all shall grow tired of your falseness and see you for who you really are and cast you aside like an outdated pair of shoes," Marcie laughs aloud and everyone looks up startled as the thin air bursts into laughter.

Cordelia's attention quickly comes back to the bane of her existence. "You don't know me little girl, I'm the Queen bitch in charge here and I will make your life a living hell if you don't back down like a good little nerd."

Jessica's anger began to get the better of her again and she got right into Cordelia's face. "I know your kind all too well Chase and backing down from the likes of you, dream on. You don't know what hell is Cordelia but I'll be much obliged to show you."

She starts to get a little closer to Cordelia invading her personal space until a hand lands on her shoulder. She turns to look into the smiling eyes of Marcie Ross.

"She's not worth it Jessica, let it go," Jessica deflates and glares at a now bewildered Cordelia.

"Where did you come from?"Cordelia began to scan the vicinity for secret passageways.

Marcie glares at Cordelia barely controlling her fury. "As if you really care!"

"You're right I don't, come Harmony let's go before the mental incursion rubs off on us. I really don't know why the school allows the mental to attend," Cordy walks out with Harmony as she laughs at the two they leave behind.

Marcie and Jessica both stare after the two girls retreating forms shaking their heads. "Their both doomed in life."

The two girls look at each other strangely and then burst into laughter. When they sober, Jessica takes a serious look at Marcie and frowns.

"How did you disappear like that Marcie? That was, well frightening," Then she gives her the biggest grin ever. "And oh so amazing!"

Marcie raises an eyebrow to that. "I wish, this particular outcome in my life has been more frightening and nerve wrecking than amazing."

Marcie leans up against the bathroom wall; she closes her eyes and takes in the deepest breath before returning full attention to a girl who seems to have wheels turning in her head. This frightens Marcie somewhat and she looks around nervously.

"What are you up to Jessica? Every since your arrival I notice you looking at me, when I didn't think anyone could see me. I thought it was a figment of my imagination or just my wishful thinking." Marcie exclaims.

"How long has this been going on Marcie? Jessica asks.

"About six months ago I was feeling particularly invisible as no one not even the teachers seem to notice or acknowledge my presence. Imagine my surprise when I did just that," Marcie sighs in frustration.

"I hadn't been able to get anyone to notice or even make myself reappear until you came along. If you knew the thoughts that were going on in my head, the lives I wanted to destroy mainly Cordelia and those that revolve around her." Marcie says intensely.

"Well you might want to get in line for that one; I think Cordelia rubs several people the wrong way. Besides you never acted on any of those feelings," Jessica came up to Marcie and laid a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"I really don't know what I'm capable of; the anger that I felt when this happened almost overwhelmed me. If you hadn't seen me I think I may have lost my mind and let my anger lead me to hurt someone," tears began to form in Marcie eyes and she wipes them away.

Jessica felt for the girl, she really didn't know what she would have done in this situation and she was amazed that her sanity lasted as long as it did. Jessica's admiration for the girl went up several notches and then an idea of sorts hit her.

"Marcie, I believe I know of a school of sorts that can help you with controlling your gift," Jessica beams.

"This is not a gift it's a curse. I don't want to control it I want it gone. Marcie's voice cracks making her sound like a little girl in torture.

Jessica grabs a hold of her shoulders and looks deep into Marcie's eyes. "It's okay Mar, were going to get you through this and I'll be by your side as long as you allow it."

Marci let out the breath she was holding and gave Jessica a weak smile and nodded her head in approval. Whatever happens now couldn't be worse than her last year of life. Now she had a friend that saw her and would stick by her and that was something that she didn't have before.

Jessica took out her cell phone to call her dad and set things in motion.

~&~

Seeing Marcie through the murky waters of her predicament had given Jessica a resolve she didn't know she had. The pure strength of the girl had given her hope to get through whatever plans that Master bastard had for her. It was time to tell someone her story. After her cheerleading practice, she goes to the library.

She found Giles in the library looking through his books as usual. She walks up to the stacks to greet him. "Hey Mr. Giles, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Giles looks up from the book he was about to put back in its place and smiles. "Hello Miss Cine, What may I do for you?" and then the music began to play in the distance, they both stop to listen. Giles wonders who is playing at this hour and Jessica smiles knowing that it is her friend Marcie.

Giles shrugs and begins to set the book in its rightful place when the library door creaks open startling the both of them.

"Who's there?" Giles ask as Jessica hides behind him.

No one answers but the crickets outside and Giles goes to his bookcase to look in the reflecting glass. Jessica leans over to see what he was looking at.

"What are you looking for Mr. Giles? Jessica stares into the glass case with him.

"Nothing," he says as he slowly turns to give her his full attention and screams out making Jessica jump into the stacks almost knocking them over. Angel slightly smirks at the both of them.

Jessica went from fearful to angry in a split second, goes over, and slaps Angel in the face. "Don't ever do that again, make yourself known to us weary mortal's Angel. Or do you take pleasure in scaring the hell out of us?"

Angel steps back shock playing over his face at the little mouse's fury. "I didn't mean to scare you; I just came to talk to Giles."

"Well, I think I'll give you a cow bell for Christmas so we can hear you coming next time," Jessica rolls her eyes and crosses her arm over her chest in indignation. "Stupid bloody vampire doesn't even know when his being stealthy."

Giles ignores her little rant and looks at the both of them. "Well I do seem to be the popular one as of late two callers in one night I do believe that's a record for me."

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he pauses thinking the worst. "I do hope it's not for any extracurricular activities." He heard Jessica gasp as she got his meaning.

Angel aghast at what they thought he was here for shook his head vehemently. "Don't worry. I'm not here to eat."

"Well that's a relief," Jessica said a little more bitingly than she had intended.

Angel gave her his wounded puppy dog look wondering where this newfound dislike of him had come from. He thought for sure that this young girl had formed a crush on him, maybe it fell away when she found out he was a vampire.

Giles steps in his curiosity getting the better of him. "Buffy told me you don't feed from humans anymore."

Angel looks haunted as he answers. "Not for a long while."

"Is that why you're here, to see her?" Giles asks.

"I can't. It's uh... It's too hard for me to be around her." Angel walks over to look out into the darkness in all his angst-ridden drama and Jessica rolls her eyes again.

"Well isn't that just like a man, things get a little tough in the relationship and you want to run and hide instead of dealing. It's good to know that's universal even with vampires Angel," She said his name with all the venom that she felt for him at this moment not realizing where it was all coming from.

"Jessica I don't believe you get the gravity of the situation. A vampire in love with a slayer, it's rather poetic…in a maudlin sort of way.

"Yeah, it all seems doomed from the start to me, especially with his attitude and actions toward the whole thing. Own up and be a man vampire."Jessica got into his face as she said the last words.

"I'm not a man Jessica." A wounded but steadily getting angry vampire spit out.

Enough was enough Jessica thought to herself, this foolish brooding might get someone hurt that she cares deeply for. She begins to poke Angel in his chest vigorously. "That soul in you says different dead boy, unless you weren't much of a man before you became a monster."

Angel had nothing to say to that, he knew what type of man he was before he was turned. In fact, it was that fact that had gotten him into this predicament in the first place. The silence was deafening as Jessica stares into the eyes of a downtrodden Angel.

Giles clears his throat to get off this particular subject. "What can I, uh—what can I do for you Angel?"

Angel began stuttering as he went along and glancing at Jessica out of the corner of his eye. "I know you've been researching the master," Jessica went rigid in spite of her newfound resolve as Angel spoke her nemesis' name and he gave her an apologetic glance.

"Yes, the vampire king. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about him for the day that Buffy must face him. I believe you've both come to discuss the same subject, maybe we should take a sit and cease hostilities so we can talk," Giles directs the last of his statement toward Jessica as she seems to be imploding at the moment.

Jessica sat and listens as the two talk of slayer prophesies and lost books on the slayers role in the end times. Jessica's ire was up; as it seems to her that they wanted to let Buffy go it alone without them lifting a finger to help her against impossible odds.

She keeps her mouth shut for now and just listens. Giles thanks Angel for his offer of retrieving some ancient book that he thought was lost and then asks Angel a question that had her head reeling again.

"I wanted to ask you Angel, have you had any luck in finding out who this new power that changes things is? I would really like to find out before that particular prophecy comes up and bites us in the proverbial arse." Giles says.

No, I have no leads on who or what it might be, but there is a rumor going around in the demon community that it has already thwarted some of the masters plans and he is dead set on destroying it," Angel looks to Jessica and she had turned a putrid shade of green.

"Are you quite alright dear girl? You look as though you may be sick," Giles laid a hand on her shoulder in worry.

"I don't feel too good; I think I better head home. Can I talk to you tomorrow morning before class starts, it's important."

"Yes, of course. You're not going by yourself are you; I could get Angel to walk with you." He began.

"No!" she said forcefully. "One of my friends is waiting for me after school and she'll walk me home."

Jessica left the two men to themselves, Angel wondering when and why she had become so hostile towards him.

~&~

The next day at school Cordelia Chase had firmly set her place as May Queen and was giving her less than gracious speech to her peers. Buffy, Willow and Xander look on in disbelief to her utter self-involvement.

Willow notices two men in black watching the proceedings and frowns. "Since when does Cordelia need body guards?"

"I don't think they're here for her wils," Buffy watches as the two men scan the grounds looking for something. They seem to spot what they are looking for and go running after it as everyone but the Scooby trio ignores them.

"I think we better go talk to Giles about this," Buffy says in a no nonsense tone as she heads for the library.

As the trio reaches the Library Giles steps out cleaning his glasses ferociously, with a distraught look upon his face and Jessica follows closely behind. He starts to say something to the girl but thought better of it when he spots Buffy, Willow and Xander approaching rapidly.

"Giles there are two conspicuous gentlemen on the school grounds looking for something, they went running up into the schools upper levels and that can't be a good sign," Buffy watches her watcher closely and observes how distraught he seems and not by what she'd just told him.

At that moment, Jessica screams out holding her head as if it might fall off.

'Jessica, you need to go to Marcie, she's in trouble and needs your help," someone spoke inside her head. 'Were on our way but we may be a tad too late to rescue her, go to her now!'

Jessica glanced around to see if anyone else had heard the voice, when she realizes no one had she took off running, Buffy followed.

Buffy followed close on Jessica's heals the girl stops several times as if she didn't know where to go and then she would hold her head and run off again. They end up in the school attack and Buffy pauses as she heard a scuffle but Jessica hurried along.

"Leave her alone you bastards!" Buffy ran in as she heard Jessica's scream and the sound of a silencer going off.

She ran in to a chaotic scene, one man in black on the floor struggling to hold down thin air. While Jessica dodges a tranquilizer dart aimed her way and then she lit into the man with all her brown belt glory. End the end it wasn't nearly enough to contain her opponent, which was a man trained in hand to hand combat, a black belt and twice her size with a mission to complete and no little girl was going to stop him.

He side steps a kick to his head and went in to punch her lights out and his hand is caught in the iron grip of a blonde slayer. "Didn't your mother ever teach you never to hit a woman?"

Buffy proceeds to knock his lights out not realizing that his partner had let go of his prey and shot a tranquilizer dart at her. She turned just in time enough to see the dart but not enough to do anything about it. Then the dart slows to a stop hovering inches from her face as if some invisible force held it.

"Marcie?" Jessica calls out thinking she was behind it.

"I'm not doing that Jesse," Marcie calls out as she rematerializes behind Jessica.

The dart turns abruptly and imbeds itself deep into the shooters neck knocking him out instantly. 'Jessica please bring Miss Ross to the front of the school, were waiting to greet you.'

Jessica should feel afraid somewhat, there was a British man talking in her head for goodness sakes. However, all she felt was calm and safe despite her predicament. She turns and takes Marcie's hand and heads out of the attack with her leaving a bewildered slayer behind.

"H-e-l-l-o! Would someone mind telling me what's going on?" Buffy stood there with her hands on her hips for several seconds before she realizes that no one was listening. She then took off after the two girls.

Jessica and Marcie round the corner to reach the front of the school and saw a bald man in a wheelchair talking to Principle Flutie. A red headed woman who at first glance seems harmless and serene flanked the man's right side. However, if one would look closely you would see fire in her eyes and a women fighting for control of something inside her. On his left was a man that left nothing to the imagination. He was feral fighter and everything about him screamed that from his stance to the no nonsense glower on his face.

He was the first to notice the girls walking towards them and laid a hand on the bald man shoulder to veer his attention away from the too damn chipper Principal that was slowly gnawing on his last nerve. Unlike his bitter little assistant ferret that he dislikes for a whole set of different reasons.

"Ah, Jessica I take it this is Marcie Ross," Flutie said with a grin. I must say I was at a loss as to whom you were when the Professor came in with your transfer papers. I'm a little ashamed, I like to pride myself on knowing all my students and you somehow escaped my radar."

Flutie was smiling but you could tell that he was sad that this girl had fallen through the cracks. He resolves himself that that would never happen again, his students his responsibility.

"I'm glad you found Jessica to befriend, she's a very good role model for the young girls here," assistant principal Snyder harrumphes loudly at that and Flutie gave him a reproaching glance that shut him up quickly.

"I say I must agree to that I've heard a lot of good things about you Miss Cine and It's good to put a face to the legend," The professor smirks slightly which made Jessica think he was talking about more than her school activities.

Principle Flutie groans aloud in disgust. "Where are my manners? Jessica, Marcie this is Professor Charles Xavier, Dean of Xavier Institute for Higher learning. His assistant Jean Grey and colleague Logan... I'm sorry I didn't get your last name sir.

"I didn't give it bub," Logan growls out and Jessica and Marcie stifle a laugh.

"Grrr, arrgh says the bloody pirate," Jessica says under her breath and Logan gave her a death glare that made her laugh even more at the big overgrown growly teddy bear.

Professor Xavier clears his throat to regain their attention. "I am extremely pleased that you brought Miss Ross to our attention Jessica, I think she shall thrive in our school being as gifted as she is."

"Marcie raises an eyebrow at his chose of words and began to get somewhat squeamish of the whole situation. "What is it you do at this school exactly?"

"Well if its okay with you will give you the big tour and explain everything to you there, we've already acquired permission from your parents," Jessica notices Marcie take a step back suddenly and knew that this man was also talking to her inwardly to calm her fears.

Whatever he was saying made Marcie grin from ear to ear. The rest happens a little too quickly for Jessica and she was soon saying goodbye to her new friend. They both promise to write and keep in touch with one another and she watches as a man with banana clip eyeglasses led Marcie to the car that would take her to her new school.

He looks at her strangely when she calls him a fair-skinned Geordi Laforge.

Professor Xavier glances at Jessica and smiles. "Again thank you for what you did today Jessica, you may have just saved your friends life."

"What about those men that tried to take her, there still up in the attic and…" The professor interrupts what he knew would be a long rant.

"They have been taken care of; you don't have to worry about them any longer. You will never see them again Miss Cine," Jessica sighs in relief although she thought in the back of her mind what taken care of meant really.

"If you don't mind Miss Cine, I shall endeavor to keep in touch with you also. Maybe you would like to come see the school one day maybe even attend one day," he extends his hand to say goodbye.

I'd love to come see the school one day, but attending, their nothing special about me," Jessica says sadly.

Jessica, you are far more than special, as for your skills," he said the last word with hidden innuendo. You don't have any… yet."

Jessica gave him a look of bemusement as he turns his wheelchair and exits Sunnydale High School.


	14. Prophecy: The Bitch That Binds

Prophecy, The bitch That Binds.

Το νέο αίμα Ο μεσολαβητής επίπεδο και να θέσει στην ειρήνη, θα αποσυναρμολογήσει τους παλαιούς τρόπους και θα φέρει εμπρός την αναγέννηση. Το σκοτάδι θα ανέλθει μάταια, προσπαθώντας να την κατέχει και θα πέσει. Από τη δύναμη που θα αυξηθεί ανωτέρω, θα αυξηθεί επάνω από το ερχόμενο κακό. Το αρπακτικό ζώο θα είναι στο αίμα του, το μάγο η ψυχή του, την καρδιά η δύναμή του και το μυαλό ο δάσκαλός του. Η εξαγορασμένη παρακμή θα συγκεντρώσει τη συγκομιδή από το και θα αγαπήσει στη μέση του υπολογισμού.

Giles rolled the prophecy repeatedly in his mind's eye and the dread stuck in his gut like a rotten piece of flesh. For months, he searched chronicle upon chronicle of ancient and modern text trying to find something about the new power that would change things. He knew beyond any doubt that the prophecy he'd finally unearthed had something to do with it. However, his Greek was a little rusty and what it actually said he had no clue.

Also and to his complete horror, the prophecy had just written itself before his very eyes. Giles rubbed his head gently trying to knead the little forming headache out. What did the damn prophecy mean, and who or what was it about?

He got up and got the codex out to see if there was anything similar written within it. He was reading furiously when he read a prophecy that almost made his heart stop.

"The master will rise and the slayer will …. "Dear lord."

The earthquake hit scaring everyone in Sunnydale, all except the master who was jumping for joy that he would soon be free.

Joyce had a little free time on her hands and decided to take the girls out shopping for the dance. Joseph had chipped in a lot knowing that the dance was coming up. He had given a good piece of money so the girls could have a good time; they deserved it with all they had been through lately. He also adored both Buffy and Willow, they had befriended his princess and made her transition to this little town that much easier; despite what he heard from that damn weasel assistant principle he thought they were a good influence on Jessica.

Willow had protested saying she didn't have a date to the dance but Jessica had talked her into the little girls day out. Jonathan hadn't asked her yet but she knew he would and she wanted her friends there with her to. She hoped Xander would get his head out of his ass and stop pining over Buffy who had no interest in him in the way he had for her and ask Willow who had been holding a torch for him since the first grade.

She felt bad for Buffy, The manpire she had her sights on probably had no intention or interest in asking her to a school dance. Jessica fumed, the more she thought on Angel and the way he treated Buffy really made her dislike him quite a bit. He should either step up to the plate or leave her alone and not keep her hanging like a fish on the hook.

For him to be a two hundred year old vampire he surely acted like a teenage boy only looking out for his own feelings.

She looked through the dresses at the store and sighed. Sometimes her friends could be completely clueless; she would have to help them with that. As she contemplated how she would get her friends to see reason she noticed a beautiful royal blue strapless dress that reached just below the knee and she completely fell in love with it. Jonathan would lose his mind when he saw her in that.

She glanced over at her friends and smiled, it looked like they both had found what they were looking for. Buffy asked her mom how she could afford something like this and was trying to put the dress she was eyeing back on the rack. However, her mother avoided the question and distracted Buffy with Willow's beautiful flowing dark green and beige dress she was eyeing.

"Oh, Willow that's beautiful, you will look amazing in that!" She rushed over knowing how squeamish her friend could be over things like this. She quickly picked out Willow's size and ran to the register where her mom was waiting with her white chiffon dress in hand.

Jessica burst out laughing at their antics and both girls eyed her suspiciously. She cleared her throat and put her attention back to her own dress. The dance was going to be legend if she had anything to say about it.

Jonathan walked the halls nervously, wringing his hands and sweating. He'd woken up this morning with every intention on asking his girlfriend to the dance, but his parents had gotten wind of his knew not single status and wanted him to invite this new girl to dinner to meet them. The look on his mother's face told him that she knew more than she let on and that made him nervous. They didn't show it much and never really pushed him about things, but he knew his parents were traditionalist and wanted him to date and eventually marry a good Jewish girl. Jessica was everything but Jewish. Well at least he had to after the dance to worry about that.

He spotted Jessica at her locker and was about to bolt when she looked up at him and smiled. He sighed and came towards her; she noticed his demeanor and began to worry. She hoped that she hadn't ran him away because of her attitude, she had really been a closed in clod around him since the nightmare incident.

"What's the matter Jon Jon," She asked frowning as he walked up to her.

He shook his head and smiled. "Nothing we can't handle. Listen I want to ask you to the dance, but there is a stipulation to me doing that," he grimaced at the petrified look on Jessica's face.

'Oh no, Jessica thought, I hope he's not going to ask what I think he's going to ask, I really thought he was different from other boys. I'm certainly not ready for the sex thing right now.' Jessica became teary eyed and looked away quickly.

"What is it Jonathan?" She rummaged through her locker trying to find something to do other than stand there and cry. Jonathan grabbed her hands and turned her towards him knowing where her mind had gone.

"Not that Jessica," he gave her a reassuring smile.

Jessica let out the breath she was holding and calmed herself. "Then what is it?" she asked intrigued.

Jonathan looked at her in fear, which caused her to look back with the same intensity. "My parents want to meet you; they invited you to dinner."

Jessica's eyes went wide and she laughed nervously as she tried to swallow her trepidation. "What?"

"I know it's a bit premature, but my parents are a bit. How should I put it? Overzealous when it comes to girls and me. They just want to meet you and my mom's a great cook," he waggled his eyes at her trying to lighten the serious mood. It will be the weekend after the dance."

"Okay Jonathan, but I should let you know I'm a bit worried about this," she rubbed at her cloths anxiously.

"Yeah, I know, I'd be worried if you weren't," he gave her at timid smile. "Oh by the way, will you go to the dance with me my sweet," he held her hand and looked into her eyes in the cutest way.

Jessica smiled despite the circumstances and cooed over her boyfriend. "Oh course I will, Jon Jon."

"Dinner will be Sunday at seven," he walked towards his next class not taking his eyes of her, all the while hoping that his parents would accept his girlfriend even though she wasn't Jewish.

Jessica sat at lunch with Willow, Buffy and Xander. They were tarring into their surprisingly good lunch as Jessica and stared off into space not eating one drop. Willow put a hand on Jessica's shoulder and frowned.

"What's wrong Jessica? You seem a little preoccupied, it's not what happened last week is it? You still haven't told us about that and we are a little worried about you, and…" Willow stopped her babble fest as Xander interrupted her.

"Whoa there Willow slow down, one question at a time for our dear fragile friend," Xander looked at Jessica apologetically.

Jessica shook herself out of her reverie and smiled at her friends. "I'm ok guys, just got some interesting news today," she stopped not intending on elaborating any further; until she noticed her friends gazing at her expectantly not letting her out of an explanation this time.

Jessica looked down and started playing with her food. "Jonathan's parents want to meet me," she said quietly.

Willow dropped her spoon and looked away knowing the implications of that. She knew Jonathan's and his parents were a Jewish family and were more observant of tradition than hers were and she knew for a fact that Jessica would put a kink in their way of thinking. She looked at Jessica and knew she wasn't in the least bit naïve about that fact.

"Wow, that' a bit fast isn't it?" Buffy asked oblivious to thoughts that her girlfriends were having. "I didn't know that you and Jonathan were at that stage of the relationship yet."

Xander ate faster almost giving away that he was smarter than he let on. He also knew before Buffy what this conversation meant.

Buffy looked at her friends feeling a little left out and shrugged as she finished her food. "I have to go see Giles I'll see you guys a bit later." She left to very distraught girls and an uncomfortable boy to their thoughts.

"Buffy wait up," Xander gained a bit of courage and followed Buffy out to ask her out to the dance. Willow and Jessica exchanged glances knowing how that would go and prepared themselves mentally for a little Xander healing they would have to perform.

Buffy stopped by the bathroom to freshen up a bit reeling from the way she had to put Xander down. What was he thinking? He knew she had feelings for Angel yet he still asked her of all people to the dance. Hadn't he noticed all these years how Willow felt about him? She felt bad for how she had clearly hurt his feelings and thought that she might have lost a good friend today. She turned the water on to wash her hands and noticed the red thick liquid that ran from it.

Buffy ran to the library looking for her watcher. "Giles you're not going to believe this," She stopped in her tracks when she noticed him talking to Angel in his office. Neither of them noticed her.

"Angel," Buffy smiled as she walked slowly towards the office to see what brought the man of her dreams to see her watcher.

"It's clear. It's what going to happen now. It's happening now," Giles said as he glanced at Angel perplexed.

Angel took the book from Giles and walked around him as he read it. "It can't be. You've got to be wrong.

Buffy's demeanor went from happy to wary at the worried looks of her watcher and Angel. She became deathly quiet as she listened to their perplexed ramblings.

"I've checked it against all my other volumes. It's very real. "Giles voice rose a little at the unbelieving tone Angel took with him.

Angel looked a bit panicked. "Well, there's got to be some way around it.

Giles took of his glasses and leaned on his desk. "Listen, some prophecies are a bit dodgy. They're mutable. Buffy herself has thwarted them time and time again, but this is the Codex," He put his glasses back on and he fixed his eyes on Angel intensely. "There is nothing in it that does not come to pass."

"Then you're reading it wrong," Angel slammed the book and matched Giles' gaze.

Giles began yelling, his worry for his slayer getting the better of him. "I wish to God I were, but it's very plain. Tomorrow night Buffy will face the Master, and she will die."

The terror and unbelief on Buffy's face was tangible and she walked away from the still arguing men in hysterical laughter. They stopped abruptly realizing she had heard their every word. Stepping out of the office to greet their grieving slayer, their hearts broke at her distraught look.

"So that's it huh? I remember the drill. One slayer dies another one is called," Buffy fidgeted in place looking like she was ready to bolt and keep running until her body gave out.

"Wonder who she is?" Buffy put her gaze onto Giles and the expression on her face slowly and agonizingly break his heart into pieces. "Will you train her… or will they send someone else?"

"Buffy I…" Giles stepped towards her not knowing what to say or do. Buffy interrupted not wanting answers to the questions she was putting out there, shock had set in and she just continued rambling questions

"They say how he's going to kill me? Do you think it'll hurt?" The tears starting rolling down her cheek as she almost lost her ability to talk.

Angel reached out to try to comfort her but she scramble away out of his arms reach and turned away from him yelling. "Don't touch me! Were you even going to tell me?" she gave Giles a hurt look.

Giles spoke so quietly afraid that his slayer that had become like a daughter to him would hate him forever. "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to, that there was some way around it."

"I've got a way around it. I quit." Buffy spat out shaking her head furiously.

"It's not that simple." Angel said as Buffy gave him a hardened look.

"I'm making it that simple. I quit… I resign. I'm fired. You can find someone else to stop the Master from taking over," Buffy said frantically.

"I'm not sure that anyone else can. All the signs indicate…" Buffy angrily interrupted her watchers rant.

"The signs?" Buffy picked up his books and started throwing them at him. "Read me the signs! Tell me my fortune! You're so useful sitting here with all your books! You're really a lot of help!"

Giles stood there taking punishment from his slayer looking like he would easily be willing to take her place if he could. "No, I don't suppose I am."

"I know this is hard," Angel said trying to put his two cents in to help Buffy come to terms with her destiny.

Buffy would have laughed if she weren't so terrified and hurt right now. "What do you know about this? You're never going to die."

"You think I want anything to happen to you? Do you think I could stand it? We just got to figure out a way…" Angel said and was cut off once again by an irate slayer that was having none of his coddling.

"I already did. I quit, remember? PAY ATTENTION!" she sneered at him.

Giles pleaded. "Buffy, if the Master rises…"

"I DON'T CARE!" Buffy's voice between yelling and a terrified cry of a child as she ripped Angel's cross necklace of her neck. She looked away trying to calm herself and resolve herself into quitting. "I don't care," she said in a childlike voice and looked into his eyes in hopes of seeing anything but disappointment.

"Giles, I'm 16 years old. I don't want to die," The dismay in her voice clear as she threw the cross on the floor and walked out of the library distraught.

Cordelia chase had somehow reeled Jessica into helping to set up things up for the bronze. Jessica didn't know how but Cordelia had found out that she had set up the dances at her dances at her old school with dazzling results. Jessica was getting really tired of being everyone's go to gal.

Jessica stepped into the recreation room where all of the dance committee had agreed to meet before they went to set up at the bronze. She glanced over at Larry and two of his football teammates. She was glad that they had decided to help her in this. The Sunnydale razorbacks had been doing really well with him as captain and she'd promised them a brilliant spotlight worthy of their winning status if they'd help set it up.

Even though she had made it clear that she didn't really like to be used by the popular girls in there endeavor to look good before the school she had secretly enjoyed planning this thing. She had made everyone come a little early and her teacher's pet status with Principal Flutie had gotten the committee out of their classes for the day so they could set up. She didn't want her friends caught out after dark, especially with Sunnydale's nightlife.

She noticed Harmony in a corner flirting with Cordelia's new boy toy Kevin. She smirked at that, Cordelia really needed to surround herself with better friends. The girl had wanted to have Cordelia's life for years according to Xander and Willow. Jessica wondered why she would keep such a backstabbing wench around. She thought Cordelia was smarter than that, humph or maybe not.

"Hey Jesse, I don't know if you realize this but all of us having forgotten something very important for this little gala," Larry looked up in dismay at overlooking the most important thing about a dance, a blasted band!

"Gala Larry, really?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow. If anything screamed to the world, I'm gay and I'm proud it was the word. She just wished Larry would come out of his denial closet and set himself free.

Larry turned red and gave her a sheepish look and changed the subject quickly. "We haven't acquired a band for the party yet Jess. We can always get the Dingo's as a last resort I suppose."

"Oh but I must disagree with you there dear Larry, the Dingo's are never a last resort and have already been put on the roster as one of the two bands I've acquired."

"Two? Who's the other one?" Larry asked in excitement and everyone looked up at her in baited expectation.

"Oh but that would spoil the surprise now, you'll just have to wait and see," Jessica smirked at her ingenuity here. She really had to pull some strings with her father for this one. Luckily, this band owed her father a favor for protecting them against a hacker that had his sights on their fortune. Identity theft was a bitch.

Most of the dance committee had already gone to set things up at the bronze and she made them promise that they'd be finished way before sundown. She and the rest of them were still making final additions on floats and last minute decorations and had quickly lost track of time and didn't realize that the sun had set and the school was now empty. No Slayer and no one to help them with the small army of vampires that now stalked the school.

The small group included Harmony who was still in the process of shamelessly flirting with Kevin, Oz whom Jessica was talking to about the set up for his band and who was very excited because he was the only one she had let know who the other band was that would be accompanying his. A guy named Gene Rainey who didn't actually go to the school but had picked up some extra credit courses that only Sunnydale High offered. He needed it to get into the college he so craved wanting to be some kind of physicist or something. He quickly fell in love with Cordelia Chase at first sight and she had suckered him in to helping with the school dance even though she treated him like scum on the bottom of her shoe. Tucker Wells stood off to himself never conversing with the rest of them and his mind was in its own little world contemplating bad things. Debbie and Pete who were in the middle of a heated lovers spat, Pete showing real signs of being abusive in the relationship, and Scott hope their best friend that sent Jessica's gaydar off once more and she had the inclination of setting him up with Larry. Jessica smiled as she looked around the room; this was surely a madcap bunch. Then someone knocked on the door.

Tucker being the closes to the door went to answer it, wondering why the idiot didn't just walk in. It was a school for goodness sack and the door wasn't locked. As he thought on this, he opened the door and the monster with a fucked up face grabbed him and drained him within seconds. His horribly gargled screams startled everyone out of their tasks and they looked up at the macabre scene in fright.

The vampire dropped Tucker's lifeless body on to the cold school floor and smiled menacingly at the sheep that would soon be his and his fellow vamps chow. He glanced at the real prize that the Master had sent him for and she froze in fear.

"We only want the girl," The vampire pointed at Jessica who grimaced. The rest looked down at Tucker's lifeless body and then back at the vamp in disbelief, making his lie a moot point.

He shrugged and ran at Jessica thinking that she would be easy prey while the rest of his buddies took care of the sheep. As he rushed Jessica, she dropped to the floor pretending to faint and Oz smashed a table against the startled vampires back. He took his eyes off Jessica, which was a mistake, and advanced on a now retreating Oz. The smirk on his face quickly wiped away when he felt a sharp wooden object protruding from his chest. He looked down at the girl that had taken his unlife.

"You dumb ass vamps really shouldn't underestimate the slayers friends," Was the last words the vamp heard as he turned to dust. Jessica rose from the floor and dusted the dust from her as she glanced at Oz to see if he was okay. He nodded at her in response to her silent inquiry all the while reeling at the monster that go poof before his very eyes.

They both looked over to the door and noticed the entire group blocking the door trying to keep the rest of the bloodthirsty and very angry vamps from gaining entrance. All except Harmony, she was screaming to the top of her lungs trying to keep a struggling Kevin near her for protection.

Jessica quickly began to bark orders, everyone try to find something sharp and wooden!" they all stared at her as if she had lost her mind. She sighed and thrust broken pieces of the table leg into each of their hands as she looked around for something to help block the door.

"Oz help me move as many heavy objects in front of the door as possible, we need as many able bodies with their hands free to fight. I'm pretty sure that are uninvited guest won't leave us alone anytime soon and the windows are easy for them to get through…" A frightened and irate Harmony Kendall who still held on to Kevin for dear life interrupted her.

"All we have to do is give them you, and they'll leave us alone," Harmony spat out and looked to Kevin to back her up.

"Shut up Harmony!" Scott said as he pointed at the dead body of Tucker. "Do you really think these guys really want to make a deal, they've already killed one of us. You can stay in denial all you want but their intentions are clear, they're here to kill us all whether they have Jessica or not. Look at their faces, their monsters."

Jessica looked at Scott with heartfelt thanks, but Harmony was partially right. She knew the Master had sent his minions after her and she was a liability to their safety. She knew they did not intend to leave the occupants of this room alive but she could buy them some time with her surrender and maybe one of them could escape and go get the Calvary.

Jessica looked at Oz and he shook his head furiously, already following where her mind had gone. "They'll kill you Jess! And like Chuck said there's no guarantee that they won't just kill us all once they have you."

" I know Oz, but if you sneak out while I surrender you can go get help. Go find Buffy Summers and tell her what's happened and she can help."

"Buffy!" Harmony squealed in anger. What the hell is she going to do bore them to death?" Go get the police or better yet the army."

"We want the girl!" The vampires screamed as they increased their efforts to get inside the room. Everyone screamed as the door began to give way. Jessica reached into her back Jean pocket and pulled out her Willow spiked mace bottle that she carried around permanently since the incident. The vampires all scrambled from the door briefly as the sting of the holy water hit their vamped out faces. Jessica briefly gave permission to proceed and he and Scott shimmied out the window. They briefly glanced to see if the cost was clear and then ran to get help. Scott stumbled as a vamp grabbed at him from the darkness, he landed on his back with a thump and Oz turned to help him.

"No, Oz run, go get help!" Scott positioned the make shift stake that Jessica had given him hoping for the best as the vamp took to the air to jump upon him. Closing his eyes thinking he was surely going to die when he heard oomph and a fuck me before he was showered with vamp dust.

He opened his eyes and smiled triumphantly, he had killed his first vampire. Then he thought on that and rubbed his hand down his face. This had to be some type of nightmare, vampires weren't real he hadn't just staked one and it turned to dust. He thought as the Sunnydale syndrome began to take affect within his brain. It didn't last as another vampire jumped him while he lay there in disbelief.

"You killed Kenny! You son of a bitch!" Scott screamed as the vamp came down upon him and bit into his neck viciously. Before he knew it, another stream of dust covered him and only Oz stood before him reaching to give him a hand up.

"We got to go man more vamps are coming round the corner," Oz inclined his head to where he'd spoken of and Scott got up quickly holding his hand to his wounded neck and they both took off to find Buffy Summers.

Jessica looked at the rest of them hoping they would be all right once she gave herself up. She looked into Larry's eyes. "Hold down the fort, try to keep everyone alive, I'll try to lead them away from you."

Larry nodded and took her hand like a long lost friend he was about to lose. "You be careful Jessica."

She smiled and left running away from the vamps as they gave chase. Larry and the others bolted the door preparing themselves for the fight of their life. None came, all the vamps had took off after Jessica, all afraid that if she somehow escaped the master would kill every one of them slowly and painfully.

The occupants of the room were too afraid to leave the room and stayed their till help arrived.

Jessica ran for her life, she knew she was no track star and the vamps would soon catch her. However, if she kept them at bay long enough Buffy might come in time to rescue them. All thoughts of that fled when a vampire jumped out at her as she rounded the corner for the stairs and punched her in the face knocking her out cold.

"I'll teach you to disfigure my face with holy water," He leered and straddled her unconscious form, the Master wouldn't notice if he took a taste. His fellow vampire quickly stopped him with a shiver.

"You do remember what happened to the last vamp that took liberties with the Master's prey?" He gave him a fearful look.

The vampire jumped clear of the girl and dragged her to her doom, all the while grumbling about the Master getting to have all the fun.

Direct quotes taking from the episode Prophecy Girl. Thought I was going to finish this in one more chapter but it got out of hand as the bunny began to beat the crap out of my brain and made me write and write and write until I had to separate them into more chapters. See if any of you recognize some of the characters I brought up early (some really early, lol). Also, cudos to those who can translate and explain the prophecy in the beginning.  



	15. Round the Bend

Jessica ran as fast as she could through the cemetery, her very life depended on escaping this nightmare. She glanced behind her and gasped as she saw several cartoonish vamps jump from tree to tree effortlessly, taunting her as they gave chase. She turned quickly and upped her speed, her heart pounding through her chest and sweat dripping from her brow. She rounded the corner of a crypt that had a big blood red letter C plastered on it; she stopped in her tracks as the scenery around her changed dramatically. She gaped in confused awe as she stood on the edge of a loading dock. She took a fleeting glanced over her shoulder to see if the vamps were still in pursuit but there was nothing but a brick wall behind her. She breathed a sigh of relief as she scanned her new surroundings. Her eyes stopped at a crate on the other side of the dock as it began to glow an eerie green, her heart stuck in her throat as two terrifying looking sea creatures stepped out from behind them with their sights on her.

"Oh shit," Jessica managed to spit out in her terror. She backed against the wall as both creatures took a giant leap towards her. Her only saving grace was when the creatures clumsily landed atop one another tangling their limbs and antennae together giving her time to recover from her initial shock. She ran the length of the dock to her left where she noticed an opened door. Her legs pumping faster and faster, she dared not to look back as she heard the creature's blood curdling screams, she could practically feel their hot breath on her neck. She reached the door that had another blood red letter on it, this time an A. With only seconds to spare, she rushed through it and slammed the door on one of the creature's arms as she did, effectively cutting it off at the elbow. She jumped as they began to claw and bam on the door screaming and emitting green gaseous smoke from their lungs. Jessica backed up several feet as the gas sipped through the cracks of the door. She had a feeling that she should not let the stuff touch her in any way. She turned and ran as the door began to give from the creature's onslaught against it, as she rounded another corner the scenery changed once again. This time placing her in the Sunnydale zoo, it was all but empty except for Jonathan waiting in the monkey exhibit in full soldier uniform. She ran over and grasped unto the cage and looked around to see if she could free him somehow.

"Jonathan, how did you get in there?" She asked as she noticed a big red S on the front of his uniform.

Jonathan backed away slowly with a sad look upon his face. "Don't you know you can't change the laws of Physics? What goes up must come down, you can only take so many rights before you have to take a left," Jonathan began to pace back and forth nervously.

Jessica looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Jonathan what the devil are you talking about? We need to get you out of here and leave before we get some unwanted company," she glanced around fearfully to emphasize her point.

Jonathan stopped pacing and turned to her in anger, he rushed towards her furious that she was not listening. As he approached the cage separating them disappeared and she had to back up quickly before he trampled her. Losing her footing she fell to the ground as Jonathan advanced upon her. She looked up as Jonathan began to yell at the top of his lungs.

"I am not the one you're looking for; I'm not the one that will make the sun rise for you!" Jonathan pointed his finger at her trying to get her to understand. His anger subsided as he saw tears run down her face. "They won't let me stay, I'm just a smoke screen and you have to be able to see the big picture Jessie," he looked down at Jessica with sad eyes. "The big cheese won't stand for what you're doing you know."

Jonathan sighed and reached out a hand to help her up, she grabbed a hold of it and tried to pull herself up but before she could he disappeared and she unceremoniously fell on her ass once again.

"Damn it!" she exclaimed as she looked around for her crazy cryptic boyfriend wondering when he had turned into Angel and why. That's when she notice the big ass werewolf stalking towards her, she froze knowing there was no way she could get away from the creature in time. She backed up slowly going past the monkey cage that had disappeared; she breathed a sigh of relief when the fence suddenly reappeared before her. Her relief shattered when the wolf growled angrily and jumped the length of the fence and landed mere inches from her. Jessica closed her eyes tight and her body shook, she was going to die.

She waited for what seemed like an eternity for the animal to tear her into shreds. She opened them quickly when she heard the beast howl in pain. Jessica watched in awe as a cartoon Buffy lit into the beast as if it were Paper Mache. Then she started to giggle, this had to be the most insane set of events ever.

As Buffy fought, she looked back towards Jessica in anger. "What are you doing here Jess, dad's going to be mad if he finds out that you snuck out the house. You're supposed to be helping mom with the baby."

"WHAT?" Jessica yelled out. "What baby? Whose mom and dad are you referring to?" Jessica asked, her confusion written all over her face.

Cartoon Buffy rolled her eyes and finished the werewolf off and came up to Jessica. "You never pay attention to your surroundings do you?" Jessica looked around and noticed that they were no longer in the zoo but in the heart of Sunnydale near the theatre and the Magic Shop; Buffy grabbed Jessica by the arm and pulled her along. "Come on Jessica, we have to get to the hospital before dawn. That's when the baby's coming; we have to be ready for the glorious day.

Jessica tried to keep her footing as Buffy yanked and pulled at her. "Buffy what the hell are you talking about, you're making no sense. Did you know that you're a cartoon?" Jessica asked as she eyed Buffy's form.

Buffy stopped and looked down at herself; she looked back up at Jessica and smiled and posed. "Yeah it's the new fashion, you like?" Jessica raised an eyebrow and snorted which made Buffy frown.

"Don't distract me, we have to be there or our parents will be mad." Buffy pushed Jessica into an open door that had a red T on it. She stumbled into a frantic Giles and they both fell into a heap.

"Thanks Buffy for that ever so helpful guiding hand of yours," Jessica got up angrily and brushed herself off, when she looked around Buffy was nowhere around.

"Is that supposed to be some kind of sick joke Jessica? If it is color me not amused," Jessica turned around into the scar-faced visage of a furious Rupert Giles. The inflamed scar was in the shape of the letter I.

"Giles what happened to your face?" she reached up to try to touch the unseemly scar on the watchers face only to have it slapped down. Jessica backed up a few steps from the anger and disgust emitting from the normally pleasant librarian.

"Again I am not amused; you know bloody well what happened to my face you scouser!" He came up to her in full Ripper mode and scowled. "Another thing, if I ever here you speak Buffy's name in that manner again, I shall gut you like a fish."

Jessica stood there horrified into silence. What was happening here and why would Giles speak to her as if they were enemies? The tears started to flow from her eyes in droves but it only served to make him angrier. He lifted his hand and slapped her across the face making her gasp; she held a hand to her now burning cheek as she backed away from the man she once looked up to.

"You keep your bloody crocodile tears to yourself you bloody bint. You cost me my slayer…, my daughter," his voice cracked with deep emotion and hit sat down hard in his chair as his own tears began to fall.

Jessica started to hyperventilate this was way beyond what she could handle or understand. She couldn't wrap her mind around what was going on, it was as if she was in some sick nightmare. She tried once again to comfort Giles as she knelt down before him as he cried; he repaid her with another slap to the face. Knocking her to the floor, he proceeded to choke the life out of her.

"If it wasn't for you this wouldn't have happened, you're not supposed to be here, you were not meant to change things!" Giles screamed at her as his grip tightened around her neck.

Jessica tried desperately to pry his damning hands from her throat but his hold stiffened and she became desperate for air. She flailed about under him as his hands denied her life given oxygen. She pleaded to him with her eyes but he ignored her, intent on taking this thorn out of his life forever.

He suddenly grunted and slumped over her body unconscious and she began to drink in the much-needed air. She looked over Giles shoulder and noticed a man that she had never seen before. His blonde hair slicked back across his head in waves and a scar that went through his left eyebrow. His eyes looked through her making her feel warm in her nether regions. His black tee shirt showed off his well-defined arms and was tight enough to make out his muscled chest. His smirk did things to her heart and her breast and her well everything. She had to close her eyes and focus when she started to notice the rest of his body.

When she opened them, she noticed that kissable smirk getting bigger and she groaned. "Are you going to just lie under him like a slag or would you like to come with me?" the gorgeous platinum blonde raised a scarred eyebrow.

Jessica forcefully pushed Giles off her and stood, eyeing the newcomer warily. He might have saved her life, but with all that was going on, she decided not to trust her savior too quickly, even if he was too hot for words.

"Who are you?" Jessica asked.

He came closer to her, emitting a dangerous sexuality that made Jessica moan and back away from the heat. "Well as of right now mate I'm your knight in shining armor whom you owe your very life to," He backed Jessica into a wall and placed his hands on both sides of her, ensuring that she couldn't get away from him. "Believe me when I say I collect on what is owed me," Jessica shivered as he came closer to her, his mouth near inches from her neck.

She tried to push him away but he grabbed her arms and held them above her head, his body pinning hers to the wall. She struggled against him but could not break free of his grip.

"Now now bird, that's no way to treat your savior," he smiled seductively inching ever so closely to her neckline. Jessica jumped as he took a gentle nip. His eyes widened as a drop of her blood hit his tongue. He backed away from her as if he were afraid. Jessica did'nt notice his fear as she frantically looked around the dark basement for a way of escape but the door she came through had disappeared. Movement at the windows caught her eye and she looked and Willow and Xander were angrily beating on them trying to get her attention. They were yelling at her but Jessica could'nt here what they were saying through the windows. She did notice red letters engraved into their foreheads as if by crayon, Willow's the letter E and Xander's the letter L.

"I know what you are Rumpelstiltskin, It's written in blood," Spike said gaining her attention again. "It's time to wake up," the windows in the basement exploded inwards and Jessica woke up screaming to the Master draining her of her blood.

* * *

Some scences inspired by the Buffy the vampire Slayer Video game, _**Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_ is a 2002 Xbox video game based upon the _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ franchise. It is the second video game based on the franchise to be released, though the earliest in terms of setting and the first for a console. The novella and dialogue of the game were written by Christopher Golden and Thomas Sniegoski, with additional dialogue provided by Richard Hare.[2]

Set in the third season between "Revelations" and "Lovers Walk." The Master, being resurrected in a phantom form, is searching for a body to possess.

Levels

There are 13 levels in the game.

Spanish Mission

Sunnydale High

The Bronze

Sunnydale Cemetery

The Mausoleum

The Sunken Church

Angel's Mansion

Sunnydale Docks

Return to Sunnydale High

The Foundry

Return to the Sunken Church

The Dreamer's Realm

The Apse

In addition, between missions Buffy and her friends meet in the Sunnydale High School library. During these meetings, Buffy can learn more of the story, get new weapons from Xander, learn new fighting moves from Giles and gain increased health and 'Slayer Power' from Willow.

Added the Sunnydale Zoo from Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds game.

British words and slangs in this chapter.

**bint **

a condescending and sometimes derogatory term for a woman (from the Arabic for 'daughter').[2] Usage varies with a range of harshness from 'bitch', referring to a disagreeable and domineering woman, to only a slightly derogatory term for a young woman.

bloody

expletive attributive used to express anger ("bloody car") or shock ("bloody hell"), or for emphasis ("not bloody likely") (slang, today only mildly vulgar) *(similar US: _damn_ ("damn car"))

**scouser **

a person from Liverpool

**slag * **similar to 'slut', a woman of loose morals and low standards; sometimes implying the woman is of an undesirable age or has become aged by her lifestyle. Occasionally used to refer to a male, though does not then have sexual connotations.


	16. The Final Hour

Willow stood in the doorway with one Cordelia chase wondering why everyone in the room was plastered to a wall or on one another crying.

"You guys have been here all night and nothings done?" Cordelia said halfway between anger and bewilderment from all the crying, then she noticed Harmony cuddled up with her new boy toy and the anger completely took over. She walked over and dragged a startled red faced Harmony off what was hers.

Willow began to back up when she noticed the dead body of one of her fellow students. She had to go get help. Larry ignored Cordelia and ran up to Willow. "Willow they took Jessica, those thugs with the weird faces," panic was evident in his voice as he relayed everything that happened to a fear struck Willow. "Oz and Scott escaped and went to get Buffy, but I'm not sure if they knew where to find her or if that gang caught up with them."

Willow turned quickly and ran out of the school full force intent on finding Buffy so they could rescue their friend while Cordelia called 911 because everyone else was too scared out of their wits to think of it. Willow hoped that it was not too late; she remembered broken heartedly how it had been too late for Jesse. Half way to Buffy's house she saw, Oz and Scott running back towards the school.

"Where's Buffy?" Willow asked as she came to a halt in front of the two boys who looked exhausted from running.

"She took off like a bat out of hell when we told her what went down. We tried to keep up with her but she was long gone before we even had a chance to turn around.

Willow didn't know what to do; they had no idea where they had taken Jessica or if she was still alive. She turned and ran back to the only one who could possibly have an answer to all this. The boys followed her like little lost puppies.

When Willow reached the school, everything was in chaos. The police took statements from the frightened students that had barricaded themselves in the classroom all-night and Principal Flutie looked extremely pale and on the verge of throwing up as he listened to the unbelievable tale they were spinning.

She and the boys quickly snuck by all the chaos and headed for the library where they found a frantic Buffy, Giles and Xander. Buffy for some odd reason had her prom dress on.

"Giles, you have to give me something, I don't even know where to begin to look for her," Buffy's voice was near panic as she spoke.

"Buffy neither do I, I wish I could give you something to go on, but I have no clue where they have taken her. Or what they would want from her other than to lure you in to fulfill the prophecy.

Buffy stiffened at his statement and tears started forming in her eyes. It seemed that quitting was not an option for the slayer after all, especially since her friends kept dying or being abducted.

"We'll all of this may be a moot point, if we don't even know where to look for this hellmouth," Xander said then clamped his mouth shut as he notice Willow and her guest.

"Excuse me what's a hellmouth?" Scott asked with wide-eyed amazement as he glanced at Oz who just nodded in approval of the question.

Giles sighed to himself, 'Great two more for show and tell in our little supposedly secret group,' rubbing the bridge of his nose he turned slowly and gave Willow a pointed look. His ire died somewhat when she at least had the decency to look guilty.

"Buffy shook her head. "We'll explain later guys," she stopped short at Giles audible exasperation. "Or not, but right now we have a friend to find and rescue if at all possible."

Willow whimpered at the last of her words, but kept the tears back. "Willow, Xander, we need to go into research mode, If we can find anything about the location of the hellmouth, maybe where exactly the Master was sucked under or any secret passages, the bad guys have to be getting in and out from somewhere."

Scott and Oz watched in awe as the Scooby gang became a well-oiled machine of research. Books practically flew everywhere, books that they had not seen in all of their tenure here at Sunnydale high. Books that looked like you shouldn't open let alone read from.

Several hours later and near nightfall, not a one had come any closer to finding anything useful. Xander slammed his thirtieth book in frustration. "I'm not finding anything guys, and time is of the essence here."

Buffy paced back and forth, she tried to think. The entrance at the cemetery had ended up a dead end so that was out. The attack at the bronze had been a onetime deal and that was only because it had been full of people, not because it was over the hellmouth. Most of the attacks and weird occurrences to her knowledge have been… Her eyes widened as realization hit her like a ten-ton truck. Before she could voice her opinion Jenny Calendar, the schools computer teacher and Cordelia Chase came running into the library breathing hard as they tried to block the library doors as several vampires tried to pry their way in, all of the library occupants rushed to help the ladies.

"There's an army of them right outside the school," Ms. Calendar screamed as a vamp grabbed her by her hair. Giles took a stake and put out the only thing he could reach, its eye. The vampire growled and scurried away knocking back his allies in the process. Giving the group a chance to completely shut and block the door.

"Why would they come here?" Willow asked in fear of the answer.

"Because the hellmouth is under the school," Buffy said in a sad tone as everyone looked at her in horror.

Giles looked at his slayer and you could see there was a little pride behind the fear in his eyes. "Of course! All of the unexplained things in this school, the evil that is attracted here, of course the school would be the focal point of the mystical convergence. Why didn't I think of this before?" Giles wanted to hit himself for overlooking such an obvious conclusion.

Buffy let her slayer come forth and she looked at the group with determination in her eyes. "Try your best to keep them busy, I'm going to find a way down there and rescue Jessica."

"Buffy, you shouldn't go down there alone…" Xander started to protest but Buffy stopped him short.

"Yes I should Xander, I'm the Slayer," she paused for a second and looked at her watcher with tear-filled eyes. "It's my duty," Giles started to reach out and hug her but she ran up one of the tables and jumped up into one of the air vents and out of sight.

~%~

Jessica woke up screaming to the Master draining her of her blood. The Master stopped munching on her long enough to look into her frightened eyes as she screamed. Chained to both walls, Jessica stood with her legs and arms spread apart. She had no leeway to even struggle for freedom. Her nightmare stood there with the remnants of her blood dripping from his grinning mouth. Numbing fear took over as she noticed something just behind her killer.

Her eyes went wide as she noticed the body laying face down in a puddle of water. She wasn't able to see the girls face but she recognized the dress immediately. Hot tears formed in her tired eyes as realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Buffy?" Jessica whimpered as the Master smiled at her words.

"Oh the little blonde slayer can't help you, see she's a little dead at the moment. He went over to kick at her for emphasis But I'm sure she'd like to thank you though, see if she wouldn't have come to rescue you I wouldn't be free now, but that's the least of your worries my darling girl," the Master taunted and came upon her quickly.

Jessica's screams poured through the underground tomb as the Master feasted upon her blood. She felt it flow from her to him in droves making her weaker and weaker. When the screams and fight left her completely he stopped feeding and caressed her cheek. Not yet Jessica, I have so many plans for you but I have a hellmouth to unleash before I break you. He turned and walked out of his century old prison leaving her and a dead Buffy waiting for his return.

"Buffy," Jessica tried to yell her name but between her weakened state and the deadness of her best friend, there was no way she was going to be heard. It seemed like she was down there way to long when she finally heard someone coming to the rescue. She smiled and finally passed out when she saw Xander Harris come around the corner.

When she woke, she was in the library surrounded by all of her friends. They were gawking at her as if they had seen a ghost.

"Okay, that was interesting," Scott said as he rubbed his eyes and stared at Jessica as if he saw her for the first time.

She ignored all except Buffy, she sat up quickly, screaming Buffy's name hysterically reaching out for her with tears in her eyes.

Buffy stood there for a moment with haunted eyes before she finally went to Jessica to comfort her.

"Oh God Buffy I'm so sorry. I thought you were gone, if it weren't for me none of this would have happened. I'm so glad you're alive," Jessica hugged Buffy tightly but barely got a response. She released her and tried to look into her eyes but Buffy avoided looking at her altogether.

"What Happened?" Jessica glanced at them all in turn. For a moment, there was complete silence before Xander spoke up.

It's a long story Jessica," Xander eyed her warily.

"Well Buffy defeated the Master and we were all prepared to take you to the hospital when you started to glow and heal yourself," Cordelia said tactfully.

Jessica's eyebrow shot into the stratosphere. "What now!"

Xander rolled his eyes and sighed. "Apparently not that long of a story if you have no sense of tact."


	17. Its Not As Bad As It Seems

It's not as bad as it sounds.

Jessica looked at them as if they'd lost their minds. She just couldn't wrap her mind around what they were telling her. She waited for someone to break down and start laughing and berating her for even considering such a story, but they all looked deadly serious.

"There's got to be some sort of explanation, people don't just up and start glowing and heal themselves," Jessica near screamed.

Oz smirked and gave her a hand up. "You did," was all he said.

"Yeah and I've seen some crazy shit tonight, so what's one more," Scott proclaimed. "I'm just glad you're alright Jess."

Jessica started to say something but a fuming Snyder interrupted her as he burst into the library followed by a well-armed police force.

"Ha, I've got you delinquents now, destruction of school property, kidnapping and murder. "I saw you drag that dead girl in here," Serves her right for canoodling with the likes of you bunch," he said all this while not taking his eyes off Buffy.

Buffy was too distraught to respond to the accusations while Xander mouthed the word canoodaling to Willow with a question mark on his smirking face.

"That's not what happened at all," Jessica pushed passed the Scooby gang and placed herself between them and a now floored Snyder. These people saved my life from that gang that kidnapped me, If it weren't for them I would be dead, but as you all can see I'm not," She said, fuming at Snyder as he stood there looking foolish.

Giles took the police aside and told them a less supernatural version of what happened and that the gang had run off but moments ago. He suggested that they must have seen or heard the police coming and then fled the scene.

Principal Flutie ran into the library and hugged Jessica fiercely, ignoring the questioning looks of all around him.

"Jessica, I was worried sick for you, I thought for sure I had lost another one of my students."

"I'm alright Principal Flutie, Thanks to Buffy and company," Jessica smiled at Buffy, but the slayer still avoided her gaze.

"Oh that's excellent, I don't know what I would have done if I had lost my new mascot Hornsby," Flutie beamed and then went green when he realized that he had just let Jessica's secret out of the bag.

Xander nearly fell over laughing. "Oh I can't wait to see that outfit."

Cordelia Chase narrowed her eyes. She couldn't believe how close she'd come to making Jessica an honorary Cordette. Then she remembered the moves the girl had during practice and thought she could do worse than the talented mascot, especially if she took Jessica under her wing. A plan for nationals cemented itself within her brain and her frown slowly turned into a predatory smirk, all thoughts of hell mouthy things gone from her head as she schemed.

Jessica's world was all a whirl for the next few days. First, her father had all but packed their bags to move them out of this hellish town but Principal Flutie promised him as well as the other parents that he would hire some major security for the school. Her dad had pulled out several cards of colleagues and acquaintances that handled security for major events but were now retired and looking for freelance work. In addition, she knew her father had fallen for Joyce Summers hard, he wouldn't admit that to her but he had and he wouldn't force her to choose if she wanted to chance a long distance relationship. If not for those major factors Jessica knew she would be kissing her friends goodbye, well Willow and Xander that is. Buffy wouldn't even stay in the same room with her let alone talk to her unless she was forced to. Jessica couldn't blame her though, she'd lost her life trying to rescue her and Xander had to revive her.

That thought gave her pause as the tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She blinked them back before they could fall. She knew beyond any doubt that Buffy must hate her. She would bide her time and give Buffy some much-needed space and then maybe their friendship could heal over time. She looked up and noticed Buffy coming toward her through the crowd. Her heart began to soar; maybe just maybe…, Buffy looked at her with sadness and turned quickly and all but ran the other way. Jessica would have laughed if it didn't hurt so damn much. "Exit stage left. Right out of my life," this time Jessica couldn't stop the tears from falling.

Oh well, It's not as if she didn't have a lot on her plate to begin with. The dreaded dinner with Jonathan parents was still on, oh joy. She had her mascot duties and the school dance that was postponed for a week.

The principal downright refused to cancel it in spite of Snyder's disapproval. "School moral must be kept up!" Flutie yelled gleefully down the hall as Snyder scowled. Snyder rolled his eyes and stormed off wishing to himself that the fool had been eaten so he could oversee the school.

To everyone's surprise, the week went rather quickly and the dance was upon them. The dinner with Jonathan's parents had been an utter disaster. It was obvious that his mother didn't approve of his choice in girlfriends, even going as far as mentioning that nice Jewish girl Jonathan had crushed on in kindergarten. Jessica had almost snorted out her food in laughter, gaining an evil look from his mother and a few particles of food up her nose through way of her mouth. Gross!

After that, Jonathan seemed sad and distant. She knew he wanted to tell her something but was too afraid to. He tried to hide behind all the excitement of the dance but Jessica saw through the façade and tried to call him on it. He somewhat gave in and told her it would be best if they discussed things after the dance. Jessica sighed but agreed; she needed a bit of happy before more bad news came her way. With her father coming to the school every chance he got, Buffy avoiding her like the plague and Cordelia looking at her as though she were a piece of meat to be tenderized and seasoned she had had just about enough of this shit of a week.

Tears welled up in the corners of Joseph Cine's eyes, his daughter stood there in her beautiful blue dress looking like an ebony princess. She rolled her eyes and smirked.

"Dad get a grip, it's only a dance you're not walking me down the aisle to meet my soon to be husband," Jessica laughed.

Joseph eyes went wide and he began to sweat, 'did she know?' he thought to himself. Then he shook it off and smiled back at his little girl and hugged her tight. She couldn't know, not yet at least.

"We better get going Jess; we still have to pick up Willow and Xander. I still don't understand why Buffy's not riding with us, are you two fighting," Joseph asked.

Jessica sighed to herself and lied. "No we're not. She's going with her date."

He nodded then handed her keys. She grinned from ear to ear and ran and jumped into the driver seat of her dads 97 candy apple red Chevy Blazer. She'd gotten her learners permit a bit early and her dad had promised she could drive to the dance. On the way to the dance after picking up Willow, Xander, and an embarrassed Jonathan, they ran into Buffy walking to the dance. Joseph had made her follow her after she refused to get into the car until she finally gave in and jumped in. He smiled as he looked at her pouting in the back seat, there was no way he was letting her walk and she should have known that. He would ask Joyce what was going on with them later.

When they made it to the school Joseph made the girls stand in front of the school for a picture. All three of them sighed but posed for the picture. Joseph bid them farewell as they went into the school.

The dance was a blast; even Buffy was having a good time dancing with Scott. Jessica smiled at that as she danced with Jonathan, she was glad Buffy was having fun. She looked around and all of her friends were having the time of their lives. Larry was dancing with one Cordelia Chase or rather he was dancing and she was standing there scowling at him. Jessica laughed and thought he may have a better chance with Scott than the ice queen.

She continued to scan the room and smiled again when she noticed Xander had sidled up to Willow and was dancing with her. The smile left when she noticed Oz playing with his band, he was the only one not smiling. In fact, he had quite the angry glare and it was aimed at…, she followed his line of sight right back to Willow and Xander? Jessica's eyebrow rose slightly.

"Interesting," Jessica said as she thought there might be a slight crush afoot.

"What's Interesting?" Jonathan asked, gaining Jessica's attention.

She smiled and came closer to him as they danced. "Nothing, I was just enjoying this moment with you and my friends."

Jonathan tried to smile but it looked quite labored and didn't reach his eyes. Jessica made up in her mind to get what was bothering him out so they could continue to enjoy the dance without the doom and gloom hanging over their heads.

"Jonathan please tell me what's bothering you," Jessica pleaded.

Jonathan became frantic and began to shake his head. He looked into her eyes and melted at the hurt look in them. "All right Jesse, I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you,"

The tears that formed in his eyes made her heart clench. He took her hand and led her out of the dance so they could talk in private.

They stood out in the school hall for several minutes of deafening silence before Jonathan began to explain what was wrong.

"Jessica…," he began to choke up as his tears fell. "My mom is sending me away."

Jessica's eyes widened in shock. "What? Why? Where are you going? Are you coming back?"

Jonathan hugged her as her voice pitch heightened with each question. "I'm sorry Jess, but my mom feels military school would better serve my needs and starting next term I will be enrolled," Jonathan tightened her hold as she began to shake.

"Is it because of me? Because she didn't approve of me?" Her voice wavered as she spoke.

Jonathan didn't know how to answer, it would be a lie if he told her no and yes would devastate her. So he said nothing just held her as she quietly sobbed in his arms.

Thirty minutes had passed before the rejoined their classmates again. To their relief Oz's band played a slow song, so they held each other and danced, ignoring everyone around them as they both cried.

Jessica wiped her tears and tore herself away from Jonathan as the slow song died away. It was time to introduce the surprise band that her father had called in a favor for. She should be excited right now but all she felt was a hallow in the pit of her stomach as she looked at all of her eager classmates.

She steeled herself and straightened her spine before she began to speak. "Ladies and gentleman," she spoke in a loud and vibrant voice that belied what she felt inside. "I would like to introduce one of my favorite up and coming bands…," she paused for effect as she looked at the crowd as they waited with anticipation. "From Tallahassee Florida- CREED!"

The crowd went wild as the band of four trounced unto the stage. Everyone was on the dance floor as the band began to play What's This Life For. As the cords ran through Jessica's very being she glanced across the room to Jonathan. He stood there looking back neither one making an effort to come closer to one another as the band sang.

Hurray for a child  
That makes it through  
If there's any way  
Because the answer lies in you  
They're laid to rest  
Before they've known just what to do  
Their souls are lost  
Because they could never find

What's this life for

The tears fell from their eyes as people danced between them making the distance seem so much farther than it actually was. Each tasted the bitterness of the end of something that hadn't had the chance to blossom between them, something that didn't get to breathe or grow. They stood there morning what didn't have the chance to just become.

I see your soul, it's kind of gray  
You see my heart, you look away  
You see my wrist, I know your pain  
I know your purpose on your plane  
Don't say a last prayer

Because you could never find

What's this life for

They slowly began to close the distance between them. The two of them paused every so often to sidestep the couples dancing with one another. Never letting their gaze slip from the other their trek seemed like an eternity but neither cared because they both knew their final destination.

But they ain't here anymore  
Don't have to settle the score  
Cause we all live  
Under the reign of one king

But they ain't here anymore,  
Don't have to settle no Goddamn score  
'Cause we all live under the reign,  
I said, you know, of

One king _[x3]_

Jessica took a deep breath as her emotions tried to get the better of her, she looked at Jonathan and could tell he was having the same problem. Her heart began to sink as she thought on losing her first… love? Was he that to her? Was she that to him? It could have been.

But they ain't here anymore,  
Don't have to settle no Goddamn score  
'Cause we all live under the reign  
I said, you know, of

One king _[x3]_

But they ain't here anymore,  
Don't have to settle no Goddamn score  
Cause we all live under the reign  
Of one king

By the time they reached each other the song was finished but that didn't stop them from embracing and dancing well into the end of the next two songs.

After a weekend of crying Jessica spent have of the last day of school avoiding Cordelia chase and her incessant babbling about nationals. The other half she spent trying to talk to Buffy, she was losing Jonathan she'd be damned if she lost Buffy to. To her great displeasure, the slayer was very good at hiding and avoiding. So Jessica decided to ambush her in her favorite place, the library.

Jessica skipped her last class of the day, which was home economics so she could stow away in the library without Giles knowing and wait for Buffy.

She smiled as she entered the library and Giles was stowed away in his office talking on the phone. She snuck pass him and hid between the stacks and waited. Forty-five minutes later Buffy shuffled in and sat at the table waiting for Giles to come out of his office.

Jessica discreetly got up and slowly walked out of the stacks toward Buffy. As she started to tap Buffy on the shoulder, she visibly stiffened and grabbed Jessica by the arm and threw her over her shoulder and onto the table hard.

Giles came running out of his office to see a very shocked and in pain Jessica sprawled out on the library table with an angry slayer at her throat.

"Buffy what are you doing?" Giles scrambled to rescue Jessica.

Buffy's eyes widened when she realized what she'd done and let go of Jessica like she was a hot coal. Jessica rolled herself off the table rubbing at her neck.

"It's okay Giles, I should know better than to sneak up on a slayer that was my stupidity at work there," she smiled at Buffy hoping it would be reciprocated.

Buffy looked away and started to walk out, not wanting any part of the conversation she knew was coming.

"Buffy I'm your friend please talk to me, I'm sorry I got you killed. Please forgive me," Jessica cried out.

Buffy stiffened to the point you could almost see the knots in her neck. She closed her eyes and willed herself not to soften to Jessica's pleas. Giles slowly and quietly went back into his office and closed the door, this was not a job for the watcher and he was thankful for that.

"Jessica, I've decided that I don't need any more friends. They just get in the way or get themselves killed so what I have is enough," Buffy crossed her arms trying to be stern and strong as Jessica stood before her crying.

"Buffy I…," Buffy cut her off

"No Jessica!" Buffy yelled. "No more friends,"

Jessica stood there for a moment trying to think of something to say to persuade Buffy but her mind seem to shut down as the thought of losing the friends she made here. She finally ran out of the library as Buffy visibly relaxed and tears flowed from her eyes.

"That was a bit harsh don't you think Buffy," Giles stood at his office door gazing at Buffy as she turned her back to him.

"It's for the best," Buffy said, feeling neither confident nor good about her decision.

Jessica got home from school and ran upstairs and cried herself to sleep thinking that this was going to be a long and lonely summer. She awakened several hours later to the sound of her father's voice calling her for dinner. As she freshened up and got out her tear-stained shirt, she heard voices down stairs. She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, she paused in shock.

There sat Joyce and Buffy Summers sitting at the table waiting, Joyce seemed to be grinning from ear to ear and Buffy was fuming.

She sat down wondering what was going on, she looked to her dad for answers and he just smirked and started to serve dinner.

"Sorry Jessica, I forgot to tell you we were having dinner quest tonight, but you were sound asleep and I didn't want to wake you," Jessica nodded and started to scoop up some of the roast beef and mash potatoes and gravy that her dad made as she glanced at Buffy.

Buffy looked at her grimly and said. "Seems I can't get rid of you huh,"

Jessica swallowed hard and looked away as tears threatened to come again. She didn't notice the guilty look on Buffy face, sorrow that she'd been so harsh towards her.

As the polite conversation started as the dinner slowly disappeared, the parents noticed the cold silence between the girls and sighed. Joseph and Joyce glanced at one another and made their decision. Maybe a bit of good news would bring the girls closer together.

Joseph cleared his throat and got the girls attention. "Buffy, Jessica, we have something to tell the two of you," they smiled at each other and then put their attention on the girl.

Both Buffy and Jessica had knots in their stomach at that move.

Two adult hands intertwined together as they prepared to tell their daughters the big news. "Buffy, Jess, we are getting married," They said in unison.

Jessica's mouth just dropped open, she wanted to be happy hell she should be happy. She liked Joyce a lot, but things were complicated and she didn't want to end up with a stepsister that hated her. She glanced at Buffy and knew that would be the case.

Buffy fumed, it was hard enough trying to protect her mother, expanding the family would be beyond hardship. What was her mother thinking?

Both Buffy and Jessica got up from the table.

"Congratulations, I'm going to bed," Jessica said at the same time Buffy said.

"I'm going home," Buffy turned and headed for the front door at the same time Jessica went upstairs to her bedroom.

Both parents sat at the dinner table dumbfounded. "That's not how I expected that to go."


End file.
